Nitrites and Nitrates from Food Additives don't benefit cardiac health, increase hypertension risk

France:  French researchers found that Nitrates and nitrites used as food additives do not incur any cardiac health benefits but increase the risk of hypertension. The study results were published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.   

Processed meats are added with Nitrates and nitrites as food additives due to their preservative properties and also the pink color they provide to the food. They are also commonly ingested from water, soil, and several foods. The various short‐term clinical studies done in the past suggested the beneficial effects of dietary nitrates on blood pressure, but other experimental studies also showed deleterious effects on oxidative damage. There is a lack of evidence from longitudinal epidemiological studies linking foods with water‐originated and additives‐originated nitrites and nitrates to hypertension and cardiovascular disease risk. Hence Bernard Srour et al from France conducted a study to find the association between dietary exposure to nitrites/nitrates and risks of cardiovascular disease and hypertension. 

Nearly 1,06,288 adults from the French NutriNet‐Santé cohort (2009–2022) were included. Online questionnaires on physical activity, socioeconomic status, anthropometry, and health were regularly given to participants, including a biannual series of 3 nonconsecutive validated web‐based 24‐hour dietary records. portion sizes and detailed food composition databases were also recorded. Associations between nitrites and nitrates intakes and hypertension and cardiovascular disease risks were assessed using multi‐adjusted Cox proportional hazard models.

Key findings of the study:

• In total, 3810 incident cases of hypertension and 2075 cases of cardiovascular diseases were ascertained during follow-up.
• Compared with non-consumers, participants with higher intakes of additives‐originated nitrites especially sodium nitrite had a higher risk of hypertension. 
• There was no association between foods and water‐originated nitrites, or nitrates with hypertension risk (all P values >0.3).
• No association was found between nitrites or nitrates and risks of cardiovascular diseases (all P values >0.2).

Thus, in line with the dietary guidelines, the present study suggests that there is no protective role of nitrites or nitrates in cardiovascular health instead they suggest a positive association between nitrites to hypertension development. 

Further reading: 10.1161/JAHA.122.027627 

Srour B, Chazelas E, Fezeu LK, et al. Nitrites, Nitrates, and Cardiovascular Outcomes: Are We Living "La Vie en Rose" With Pink Processed Meats? J Am Heart Assoc. 2022;11(24):e027627.