Why are nitrates in cured meats considered bad for your health, when “healthy vegetables” contain just as much nitrates?

Question

Meats cured with nitrates (hot dogs, deli meats, ham, bacon, etc.) are widely considered to be “bad for your health” by most medical authorities.

However, leafy green vegetables, such as kale, spinach, broccoli, & cabbage, on average have similar, or even higher concentrations of nitrates in them. Leafy green vegetables, in contrast, are widely considered to be “good for your health” by the same medical authorities.

On average, hot dogs contains between 10 – 50 mg of nitrate per 100g, while 100g of kale contains 25 – 40 mg of nitrate.

Why is there such a concern about the nitrate concentrations in cured meats, when leafy green vegetables have similar concentrations of nitrates?

In: Biology

Answer 1

I did read a paper that raised concerns about the nitrate levels in rocket. However, in general most vegetables don’t have the same level of nitrates as cured meats. They also are a source of fibre, which is very useful in lowering the likelihood of conditions such as bowel cancer, which is what has been linked to nitrate consumption.