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ArtistFrom nitrate to nitrite: When you eat nitrate (e.g. from vegetables or water), part of it is converted into nitrite by bacteria in the oral cavity. The risk in the stomach: In the acidic environment of the stomach, this nitrite can react with amines (from meat/proteins) and form nitrosamines, which are potentially carcinogenic. The neutralization: Ascorbic acid acts as an "antagonist" by rapidly reducing nitrite to nitric oxide (NO). Nitric oxide is a harmless gas (and even beneficial for the blood vessels), which prevents the nitrite from reacting with the amines to form the dangerous nitrosamines.
When consuming nitrate from foods or water, bacteria in the mouth convert it to nitrite. In the stomach's acidic environment, nitrite can react with amines from proteins, leading to potentially carcinogenic nitrosamines. However, ascorbic acid helps neutralize this risk by converting nitrite into harmless nitric oxide, protecting against harmful reactions.