Are Hot Dogs Bad for Prostate Cancer?

If you are suffering from prostate cancer, your doctor will likely recommend a healthy diet and exercise, along with your radiation, chemotherapy or other treatment. If you are healthy and trying to avoid prostate cancer, staying away from processed meats that contain nitrates such as hot dogs will reduce your chance of developing the disease.

What are Nitrates?

• Sodium nitrates are used to preserve the color of processed meats so that your hot dog stays pink before and after cooking. Nitrates react with chemicals in the stomach to create nitrosamines and this reaction has been shown to cause cancer in lab animals.

Medical Conclusions

• According to Medicine.Net, while the specific cause of prostate cancer is unknown, age, heredity and environmental factors such as chemicals and toxins can lead to the disease. According to a 2007 study performed by the American Institute for Cancer Research, a person has a 21 percent higher risk of getting cancer if he consumes one hot dog daily; they recommend avoiding processed meat as much as possible. According to a 1996 study by European Cancer Prevention, nitrates cause an increased risk of stomach cancer and increase sodium levels.

Prevention

• Just as quitting smoking significantly lowers your risk of contracting lung cancer, eating a healthy diet full of fresh fruits and vegetables, exercising and staying at a healthy weight lowers your risk for all types of cancers. Eating nitrates has been proven to cause the creation of carcinogens in the stomach; if you want to prevent cancer, you should avoid hot dogs and other processed meats.

Nitrate-Free Hot Dogs

• No one wants to give up their favorite food, especially a plump hot dog at an outdoor barbecue. Many companies currently make nitrate-free hot dogs and veggie or tofu dogs. These cost more than your standard hot dog, but they may give you peace of mind about your health.