Nitrate-rich foods protect stomach ulcers

Fruits and vegetables rich in nitrates protect the stomach from damage, according to animal data from a Swedish study, which found that they are converted to nitrites by the bacteria in the mouth and from there to biologically-active nitric oxide in the stomach.

"Nitrates in food have long been erroneously linked to an increased risk of cancer," said lead study author Joel Petersson, of Uppsala University's Department of Medical Cell Biology. Instead, he thinks that nitrate-rich vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, radishes and beetroot have a positive affect on the stomach by activating the mucous membranes' own protective mechanisms, thus reducing the risk of problems such as gastric ulcers.

Using animal models, Dr Petersson and his colleagues showed that nitrate additives in food protect against both gastric ulcers and the minor damage that often occurs in the gastrointestinal tract as a result of ingestion of anti-inflammatory drugs. When these rats were then given anti-inflammatory drugs, damage to the mucous membrane only occurred in those that had received the oral spray. In the latter, the nitrates no longer had a protective effect, as the oral spray had killed the important bacteria that normally convert nitrates into nitrites, he noted.