Dietary intake of nitrate and nitrite and risk of renal cell carcinoma in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study.

High exposure to nitrites from animal sources, such as processed meats, may up the risk of kidney cancer.

​This study examined the consumption of nitrates and nitrates from food sources in relation to the development of kidney (renal) cancer. With the aid of validated food frequency questionnaires, researchers collected and analyzed data on the eating habits of 491,841 men and women for a period of 9 years. The renal cancer odds ratios of all the participants were also ascertained. 

Researchers observed that regular consumers of nitrite from animal sources, such as processed meats, demonstrated high risk of acquiring kidney cancer. The results of this study show that dietary exposure to nitrites from animal sources may be a contributing factor to the development renal cancer.