Replacement of Nitrite in Meat Products by Natural Bioactive Compounds Results in Reduced Exposure to N-Nitroso Compounds: The PHYTOME Project.

Simone G Van Breda,Carla B Vleugels‐Simon,Wim Verbeke,Virág Sági‐Kiss,Adriaan A Van Bodegraven,Giovanni Parolari,Yung Hung,Panagiotis Georgiadis,Giovanna Saccani,Roberta Virgili,Gunter G Kuhnle,Ad A Masclee,Karen Mathijs,Gert Hemke,Harm‐Jan Pieters,Theo M De Kok,The Phytome Consortium ,Rashmi Sinha

doi:10.1002/mnfr.202001214

Abstract

ScopeIt has been proposed that endogenously form N‐nitroso compounds (NOCs) are partly responsible for the link between red meat consumption and colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. As nitrite has been indicated as critical factor in the formation of NOCs, the impact of replacing the additive sodium nitrite (E250) by botanical extracts in the PHYTOME project is evaluated.Method and ResultsA human dietary intervention study is conducted in which healthy subjects consume 300 g of meat for 2 weeks, in subsequent order: conventional processed red meat, white meat, and processed red meat with standard or reduced levels of nitrite and added phytochemicals. Consumption of red meat products enriched with phytochemicals leads to a significant reduction in the faecal excretion of NOCs, as compared to traditionally processed red meat products. Gene expression changes identify cell proliferation as main affects molecular mechanism. High nitrate levels in drinking water in combination with processed red meat intake further stimulates NOC formation, an effect that could be mitigated by replacement of E250 by natural plant extracts.ConclusionThese findings suggest that addition of natural extracts to conventionally processed red meat products may help to reduce CRC risk, which is mechanistically support by gene expression analyses.

Highlights

The safety of processed meat consumption is being debated already for many years
These findings suggest that addition of natural extracts to conventionally processed red meat products may help to reduce colorectal cancer (CRC) risk, which is mechanistically support by gene expression analyses
In the PHYTOME project, we aimed to evaluate the impact of reformulated processed meat products enriched with natural bioactive compounds on the exposure levels of potentially carcinogenic nitroso compounds (NOCs) in humans

Summary

Introduction

According to several reports of the World Cancer Research Fund,[1,2] there is convincing evidence that the consumption of red and processed meat is associated with cancer risk. The International Agency on Research on Cancer has classified processed meat as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1 carcinogen), based on sufficient evidence in humans that the consumption of processed meat causes colorectal cancer (CRC).[3] Others argue that meat and meat products form a conventional part of the human diet and contribute to the health of consumers in view of the supply of essential amino acids, iron, zinc, selenium, vitamin B6 and B12, and vitamin D. According to Hodgson et al.,[4] the consumption of red meat results in a reduced blood pressure and may contribute to reduced.

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