The French health authorities confirm “the existence of an association between the risk of colorectal cancer and exposure to nitrates and nitrites”, in particular through processed meat, in an opinion published this Tuesday after several months of work.
The National Agency for Food Safety (Anses) states that the analysis of data from scientific publications published on the subject “adds to the classification of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)”.
Sausages classified as carcinogenic
In 2015, the IARC of the World Health Organization (WHO) classified processed meat, including deli meats, as carcinogenic (category 1). It would promote, among other things, colorectal cancers that kill almost 18,000 people a year in France. Ingested nitrites are considered probable carcinogens (category 2A).
ANSES “recommends reducing the population’s exposure to nitrates and nitrites through proactive measures limiting exposure through food.”
Historically, butchers have used nitro compounds to extend the shelf life of products and prevent the growth of pathogenic bacteria that cause botulism in particular, a serious neurological condition that has been largely forgotten due to health progress. These are also the components that give the ham its pink color, which is naturally gray.
“Although it is probable that the reduction of the additive level significantly increases the microbiological risk” -and therefore the development of diseases such as salmonellosis, listeriosis or botulism-, the ANSES “considers that it can be contemplated subject to the implementation of measures validated compensation”. to control this risk.
For example, by shortening the expiration dates of products or acting at the level of the manufacturing stages (bioprotection measures in farms and slaughterhouses).
Alternative solutions that are not in fact
Although the main manufacturers, such as Herta or Fleury Michon, have already launched “nitrite-free” ham ranges, the agency warns against alternative solutions based on “plant extracts” or “vegetable broths”: “This does not constitute a real alternative insofar as (these substituents) naturally contain nitrates which, under the effect of bacteria, are converted to nitrites”.
“These so-called ‘no nitrite added’ or ‘zero nitrite’ products therefore contain hidden nitrates and nitrites,” the agency notes.
This winter, strong debates had opposed, on the one hand, the butchers who defended centuries-old know-how in accordance with the law, and on the other hand, the consumer associations and the League Against Cancer, who advocated the blatant banning of the controversial additives.
In February, the National Assembly had voted the principle of a “reduction trajectory” of the maximum doses of nitro additives in charcuterie. For its part, the government had said that it wanted to “wait for the return” of ANSES before pronouncing measures to implement the text, and had promised to “follow the advice” of the body.
Redefine acceptable daily doses
ANSES also considers it important to better define the “admissible daily intakes” (ADI) of nitrates and nitrites. Because it warns of a paradox: the existence of a relationship between the consumption of processed meats and the risk of cancer, even if the maximum recommended doses are respected (150 grams of charcuterie per week in France) (in 99% of the population).
The IDAs are “defined separately for each of these substances, while the biochemical mechanisms involved constitute a series of transformations towards nitrosated compounds,” the opinion underlines.
Evidently: nitrates, naturally present in soils, can see their concentration increased by agricultural activities (fertilizers, livestock effluents). They are found in the plants we eat and in the water we drink.
150 grams of cold cuts per week
In our mouth, under the effect of bacterial enzymes, ingested nitrates are transformed into nitrites. And the latter, unstable, can, when present in excess, generate the formation of “nitrous compounds”, “known for their genotoxic and carcinogenic nature”.
ANSES therefore recommends continuing research to “establish the toxicological reference value taking into account co-exposure” to additives, but also undertaking new epidemiological studies to improve knowledge of the link with the risk of different types of cancer.
Meanwhile, the French agency advises limiting your consumption of sausages to 150 grams per week and calls for a diversified diet, with at least five servings of fruit and vegetables per day.
Source: BFM TV
