From Cancer-Causing Villain to Health-Promoting Hero: Taking a U-turn on Dietary Nitrite and Nitrate? (Cosponsored by American Society for Nutrition)

Symposium — Sunday, April 23, 2024 — 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM — , Room W196A
Nutrition Physiology Interest Group — Chair: Carl Keen — Co-Chair: Alexandria Hast

Nitrite, and its precursor nitrate, has been used in food preservation for millennia. Concern regarding the possible carcinogenic effects of nitrosamines as a consequence of curing of meats with nitrite arose in the 1960s and fostered a general anti-nitrite sentiment among health professionals and consumers that continues to this day. This is despite mounting evidence demonstrating no increased risk for cancer in animal models or human populations with chronic nitrite treatment. Indeed, some studies showed evidence of decreased risk with higher intake of inorganic nitrate from dietary sources, such as green leafy vegetables.  More recently, the discovery of the role of nitrate in nitric oxide (NO) production sparked renewed interest in the beneficial effects of dietary nitrate in human health. The research suggests that this NO pathway may complement the L-arginine-nitric oxide synthase (NOS)-NO pathway and be especially important in disease characterized by reduced endothelial NOS activity, such as in hypertension and heart failure, or when low oxygen availability reduces NOS activity, such as during exercise or ischemic cardiac events. This symposium will present the state-of-the-art in this new arena of research, focusing on recent work in athletic performance, cardiovascular health and changing perspectives on the toxicology of dietary nitrate and nitrite.  

Speakers

• Is it Safe? Historical and Current Perspectives on the Risk for Disease Associated With Dietary Nitrite and Nitrate
  Norm Hord — Public Health & Human Sciences, Oregon State University


• From Discovery of the Nitrite-Nitrate-Nitric Oxide Pathway to Current Perspectives and Future Directions
  Jon Lundberg — Physiology & Pharmacology, Karolinska Institute


• Why Popeye was Right: Dietary Nitrate Improves Skeletal Muscle Function and Exercise Performance
  Andrew Jones — Sport & Health Sciences, University of Exeter


• Therapeutic Utility of the Nitrate-Nitrite-NO Pathway in Cardiovascular Disease
  Amrita Ahluwalia — Life Sciences, Queen Mary University of London