"The noblest of all dogs is the hot dog; it feeds the hand that bites it." - Lawrence J. Peter
A University of Nebraska researcher says good old American hot dogs may contain DNA-mutating compounds that might boost your risk for cancer. Sidney Mirvish, a University of Nebraska Medical Center chemist found there may be a 240-fold variation in levels of the mutating chemicals from one hot dog brand to another.
"One could try and find out what the difference in manufacturing techniques are between the (hot dog) brands," said Mirvish in an article published in this week's LiveScience. Added Mirvish, "If it's decided these things (hot dogs) are a hazard, one could change the manufacturing methods."
That's hard news to digest for millions of Americans. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council estimates that over seven billion hot dogs will be eaten by Americans between Memorial Day and Labor Day this year. Each year, Americans eat an average of 60 hot dogs apiece.
Mirvish and his colleagues decided to look at hot dogs because past research linked them with colon cancer. Hot dogs are preserved with sodium nitrite, which can help form N-nitroso compounds; chemicals which cause cancer in lab animals.
Extracts from hot dogs bought from the supermarket, when mixed with nitrites, resulted in what appeared to be these DNA-mutating compounds. When added to Salmonella bacteria, Mirvish and NU medical researhcers discovered that hot dog extracts treated with nitrites doubled to quadrupled their normal DNA mutation levels. Triggering such DNA mutations in the human gut might boost the risk for colon cancer, said the researchers.
The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council estimates that more than seven billion hot dogs will be eaten by Americans between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
"I won't say you shouldn't eat hot dogs," Mirvish said. Future research will feed hot dog meat to mice to see if they develop colon cancer or precancerous conditions, he explained.
James Hodges, president of the American Meat Institute Foundation in Washington, noted this study is "a preliminary report that the author concedes requires further investigation. The carcinogenic risk to humans of the compounds studied has not been determined."
The possible hazard isn't just limited to hot dogs either. Salted dried fish and seasonings such as soy sauce may also contain similar levels of these chemicals, Mirvish said.
Mirvish and his colleagues reported their findings in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Vital Hot Dog Facts*
In 2005, consumers spent more than $3.9 billion on hot dogs and sausages in U.S. supermarkets – that equals more than 1.5 billion hot dogs and sausages bought at retail stores alone.
Americans will eat enough hot dogs at major league ballparks this year to stretch from RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. to AT&T Park in San Francisco.
New Yorkers consume more hot dogs than any other city – beating out Chicago and Los Angeles.
Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport consumes SIX times more hot dogs – 725,000 – than Los Angeles International Airport and LaGuardia Airport combined.
On Independence Day, Americans will enjoy 150 million hot dogs – enough to stretch from D.C. to L.A. over five times.
During Hot Dog Season – Memorial Day to Labor Day – Americans typically consume 7 billion hot dogs – or 818 hot dogs consumed every second during that period.
U.S. soldiers in military posts around the world – from Fort Meyers in Arlington, Va. to Okinawa, Japan to Aqaba, Jordon – consumed 2.4 million hot dogs last year.
*Source- National Hot Dog and Sausage Council
Did you know: It is said that the legendary baseball player Babe Ruth (1895-1948) once downed 24 hot dogs between games of a double header.
