New York Times
November 3, 2003
Study Finds That Nitrites in the Body Greatly Aid Blood Flow
By WARREN E. LEARY

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 — A common compound in the body previously believed to have no major function has been found to greatly increase blood flow, indicating it has potential as a treatment for illnesses like heart and blood vessel disease and sickle cell anemia, researchers reported on Sunday.

Work done by scientists at the National Institutes of Health and colleagues at the University of Alabama and Wake Forest University shows that nitrite, a common salt, can open blood vessels and improve flow in parts of the body.

In a report to be published in the November issue of Nature Medicine, researchers said they found that nitrite can be readily converted into nitric oxide, a potent compound known to expand blood vessels and regulate the circulatory system.

The findings suggest that nitrite represents a major pool of nitric oxide in the body that might be tapped for therapeutic purposes, the report said.

"Until now, everyone believed nitrite was simply a metabolic byproduct that didn't have any significant function, yet it is very abundant in the bloodstream," Dr. Mark T. Gladwin, a senior investigator at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center and an author of the paper, said in an interview. "Nitrite was not considered a critical blood vessel dilator, but now we know it can be."

The report said that the body's use of nitrite to make nitric oxide is tied to a newly discovered function of hemoglobin, the blood protein in red cells that carries oxygen to vital organs. Studies demonstrated that when hemoglobin released its oxygen into organs and other areas with inherently low oxygen concentrations, the protein acted to convert nitrite into nitric oxide. The same hemoglobin effect was seen during exercise, when metabolism greatly increased, the researchers noted.

To measure the body's use of nitrite, Dr. Gladwin and Dr. Richard O. Cannon III tested 18 healthy volunteers at the Clinical Center. Sodium nitrite was infused into the volunteers' forearms to determine how it affected blood flow both when the subjects were at rest and when they were exercising.

Blood flow increased about 175 percent and was even more pronounced during forearm exercise, the report said.

"This is a major increase in blood flow," Dr. Gladwin said, "It shows that nitrite helps get more blood to areas of the body that are low in oxygen, such as organs like the heart, kidneys and brain, as well as muscles."

Dr. Gladwin said the role of nitrite had been misunderstood because earlier studies looking at its dilation properties were done under normal, higher-oxygen conditions or with no hemoglobin or red blood cells present.

Dr. Alan N. Schechter of the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases, another author of the paper and an expert on sickle cell anemia, said the results raised the possibility of using infused or inhaled nitrite as a therapy. Sickle cell is an inherited disorder in which defective hemoglobin causes red blood cells to distort and block small blood vessels.

"Nitrite therapy could be a major new, simple and nonexpensive alternative therapy for sickle cell disease," Dr. Schechter said, "as well as stroke, pulmonary disease, obstructed heart vessels and other conditions involving poor circulation." However, he cautioned, it will take years of clinical testing to prove if this approach is beneficial.

Dr. Gladwin noted that while nitrite compounds were already approved for human use in things like antidote kits for cyanide poisoning, high concentrations can be toxic, and clinical tests would have to proceed carefully.

Nitrite is also a natural component of leafy green vegetables and a common additive in cured meats and hot dogs. Studies are under way at the health institutes and elsewhere to see if dietary sources of nitrite affect blood flow and blood pressure, the researchers said.



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All right!!! That just the justification I need to eat bacon three meals a day, 365 days a year.

Just kidding.

Get out!
Here I was feeling a little guilty about my love of pepperoni & bacon...

But the study appears to have been done by somehow getting the Nitrite into a person's arm without having to go throught he stomach, and that is, I believe, where Nitrites are though to cause harm (though in the quantities that most people consume them, the jury is apparently still out). Sodium Nitirite reacts with stomach acids to form chemicals that can cause cancer. (again, jury still out on whether there is enough to really raise your risk level). I think that Nitirite was otherwise believed to be benign but the Sodium portion of the chemical was of concern too for blood pressure reasons.

Who started the rumour that salt was bad for the body? Same person that invented the "Low-Fat" diet?

Salt is necessary for basic metabolic functions. Only the "salt" consumed by most americans is processed mined salt that's as good for you as sucking on a rock! You need sea salt with all the intended minerals intact. I had a horrible low blood pressure and low body temp problem. By going LC and adding good fats and SALT to my diet they are both where they should be!! Yeah for bacon!!

Sorry, unrefined sea salt is best. Thanks for correcting me.

TOO MUCH salt is bad for you. Eating a reasonable amount of sodium, as you would find in Fresh (Non-Cured) Meats and Plants, is perfectly fine...and you need some. It is when we eat a diet of Cured (Low-Fat) Meats, Breads, Potatoes, and Packaged Convinience Foods that we begin to get TOO MUCH salt/sodium in our diet. Breads are loaded with Salt/Sodium...as salt is needed to control the yeast and Baking Powder and Baking Soda both contain exhorbitant amounts of Sodium. Plus, it adds flavor.

Cured meats have it so they stay fresh longer. Most potatoes have salt added for flavor. I'm guessing packaged foods have it for the same reason. What really annoys me though...is I am watching my Sodium...and one food in particular (Canned Tuna) costs 3x as much ($1.22 vs. $0.44 a can) if you want it without added salt. The taste difference is virtually undiscernable...So, it is obviously not needed for flavor.