The Study
Endogenous Formation of N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) from Dietary Nitrite and Nitrate Intake and Its Association with Cancer Risk.
This study is like noticing that people who eat certain foods tend to get sick more often, but it doesn't prove the food causes the sickness. It shows a pattern, not a cause.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
Scientists studied how chemicals from some foods turn into other chemicals in our body
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 544 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Small but measurable increase in cancer risk
- 2People who had more of these chemicals had 4% more cancer overall and 12% more colon cancer
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association
Year
2026
Authors
Ziwei Shi, Zhiqun Lei, Wenmin Zhu, L. Yong, Qi Wang, Sheng Wei
Related Content
Claims (4)
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 more foods with certain chemicals called nitrites and nitrates might slightly raise your chance of getting cancer later in life, according to a big study that followed people for 12 years.
Eating more foods with a certain chemical called NDMA might raise your chances of getting colon or rectal cancer by 12% if you're an adult.
When someone is overweight and exposed to a lot of NDMA (a chemical found in some foods and water), their chance of getting cancer goes up more and more as the exposure increases.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.