Description
Book SynopsisNitrate is ubiquitous. It is present in water, soil, plants and food, and is also a normal human metabolite. The main external sources of nitrate are vegetables and drinking water. This book examines the relationship between nitrates and human health. During the last 50 years or so, nitrate has been feared as the source of the rare condition called methaemoglobinaemia, or "blue baby syndrome", for young infants. Nitrate has also been implicated with causing cancer, through increased formation of carcinogenic compounds. Both claims are based on dubious evidence. This book sets out research results to disprove these assumptions, and goes on to explore the beneficial effects of nitrate in preventing infections, cancer and cardiovascular diseases. It is essential reading for researchers in medicine, and those in agriculture and food industries.
Table of Contents1: The history of nitrates in medicine 2: Nitrate, the nitrogen cycle and the fertility of nature 3: The nitrogen cycle 4: The increasing fertility of nature 5: The metabolism of nitrate 6: The basic features 7: The two sources of nitrate: dietary intake and endogenous synthesis 8: The metabolic conversions of nitrate in the body and its fate 9: Nitrate excretion with saliva and its transformation to nitrite in the mouth 10: Nitrate and nitrite in the stomach 11: Nitrate metabolism: a summary 12: Nitrate in body fluids 13: Healthy humans 14: Pathological conditions 15: Conclusions 16: The case against nitrate - a critical examination 17: The risk of methaemoglobinaemia in infants 18: The risk of cancer 19: Other grievances 20: Conclusions 21: Nitrate regulations: presentation and discussion 22: Maximum nitrate levels in drinking water 23: Maximum nitrate levels in food 24: The acceptable daily intake and the reference dose for nitrate in man 25: Concluding comments 26: The beneficial effects of nitrate 27: The anti-infective effects of nitrate 28: Nitrate, blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases 29: Dietary nitrate and gastric cancer 30: Other beneficial effects 31: Conclusion 32: Summary and Conclusions
