What is the role of nitrite

High doses of nitrite will still be very toxic. Ingestion of nitrite by mistake can cause nitrite food poisoning, and long-term use may even cause cancer of the esophagus and stomach.

Nitrite, which is used as a preservative in meaty foods, has always been considered a carcinogen, but scientists from the National Institutes of Health have recently discovered that this carcinogen can be used as a medicine to treat sickle cellemia and Heart disease and other diseases, this discovery is jaw-dropping.

For 100 years, scientists believe that nitrite has no benefit, but today, scientists have discovered its value. According to a report by the American Broadcasting Corporation on September 5, when researching a nitrite-related compound, nitric oxide, Dr. Mark T. Gradwin and cardiologist Dr. Richard Cannon accidentally discovered The medicinal value of nitrite. Nitric oxide can dilate blood vessels and increase blood flow, but it cannot be used as a medicine. However, nitrite, which is often used as a food preservative, has similar effects to nitric oxide and can be used as medicine, so the two scientists thought of nitrite.

Subsequently, scientists conducted clinical trials. They injected a small amount of nitrite into healthy volunteers. As a result, the blood flow of the volunteers tripled. When the volunteers exercised, the nitrite content in the body immediately plummeted, indicating that the body is actively using nitrite. Therefore, scientists believe that nitrite can be used as a medicine to treat sickle cell disease, heart disease, cerebral aneurysm and other diseases related to blood flow.

In this regard, Dr. Gladwin joked, "We are equivalent to treating human organs as hot dogs. Adding nitrite is equivalent to adding protective measures. When the heart, lungs and brain are hypoxic, cells will not die because of lack of oxygen. . "

However, it is worth noting that high doses of nitrite will still be very toxic. Ingestion of nitrite by mistake can cause nitrite food poisoning, and long-term use may even cause cancer of the esophagus and stomach.

Moreover, scientists currently lack clinical trials to prove that nitrite can treat diseases such as heart disease. Therefore, scientists are actively recruiting volunteers for clinical trials, and began to find suitable drug manufacturers responsible for research and development of nitrite drugs.