Eating processed meats like bacon or hot dogs can cause chemical reactions in your gut that create harmful compounds called nitrosamines, which build up in your body.

When you eat processed meats like bacon or hot dogs, chemicals in them can turn into harmful substances in your stomach that can damage your DNA and might cause cancer.

Eating processed meats like bacon or hot dogs might raise your chance of getting cancer because chemicals in them can turn into cancer-causing stuff in your body.

When certain chemicals are added to processed meats like bacon or hot dogs, they can turn into other chemicals that might cause cancer, according to health experts.

When you eat foods with natural nitrates, like spinach or beets, bacteria in your mouth turn them into nitrite, which then travels through your blood and becomes nitric oxide—a molecule that helps your blood vessels relax.