Nitrates In Urine
What Nitrates in Urine Really Means
The presence of nitrates in the urine can mean anything from infection to one of the many types of cancer-often bladder. Nitrates are found in many foods eaten in ones everyday diet. This can also be extended to water, although the concentrations in ground water are generally much lower than in foods.
Nitrates in urine are accumulated from such vegetables as lettuce, spinach and carrots, beets. Though some plants naturally contain nitrates, researches believe that the culprit causing the real danger is use of nitrate fertilizers in the growing of the vegetable.
Today we can test for nitrates in urine and other abnormalities within the body to protect ourselves from such diseases as cancer. During the 1940s, however when the war was demanding so much from the American farmers the use of fertilizers filled with nitrates was greatly encouraged to increase crop production. Though we have since lowered the recommended safe levels of nitrates, research shows that the rise in esophagus/throat cancer follows closely the use of fertilizers-from then to now, with about a 10-20 year lag in time.
Nitrates are used as medicines for a wide range of conditions from angina to migraines to correcting erectile dysfunction. Problems stem from an over abundance of these nitrates in the stomach are transformed into nitrites which then can rapidly be converted into cancer causing compounds. This equates to taking serious any tests resulting in too many nitrates in urine.
In controlled studies of a communities nitrate contaminated water supply researchers found that the risk of anything from nitrates in urine to bladder cancer rose steadily regardless of vitamin intake (especially C and E), smoking and/or nitrates in the diet. While smoking can increase nitrate exposure, vitamins such as C and E can counteract the carcinogenic effects of nitrates.
Things to watch for in your community to protect yourself and those you love are contaminated sources of nitrogen and nitrates. These might include runoffs or seepage from agricultural lands, refuse dumps and septic tank (includes private sewage disposal systems), municipal and industrial waste water, animal feedlots, urban drainage and un-kept decaying plant debris (other than organic composts).
When research was conducted in animals it was found to be the bacteria in the rumen (first stomach) that converted nitrates to nitrites-which have been found to be as much as 10 times as toxic as the former. When toxic levels were reached symptoms occur 5-7 days later and death followed within 2-24 hours. Respiratory failure is the cause of death.
Plants must have nitrogen to perform all of their metabolic activities, and though it is readily available in the air around us, it cannot be utilized by plants. Plants can only get nitrogen of nitrates or nitrites-neither of which is harmful to it. Urine contains this colorless, odorless gas making it very rich in nitrates. In this case, nitrates in urine resulted in a positive effect.
In treating nitrates in the urine drink plenty of pure water (at least 64 ounces) a day. Taper off coffee and/or tea as well as soft drinks until such time as your levels are safe once more. Take antibiotics if they have been prescribed at the same time every day so that they are always in your system.
Teach children the importance of healthy eating healthy by staying away from preserved meats as most of them re preserved with nitrates that can quickly convert into carcinogens (cancer causing agents). This typically includes foods that are pinkish in color (nitrates!!) like hotdogs, bologna, salami, pastrami, pepperoni, corned beef, cured hams and bacon.