Table 1.

Differences between animal-based and plant-based dietary nitrates and nitrites: adverse effects and healthy benefits.

Adverse Effect	Reference	Healthy Benefits	Reference
Carcinogenicity due to the formation of NOCs and their direct interaction with DNA	[32,37]	Homeostasis	[30]
Nitrosamine intake contributes to stomach cancer	[41,42]	Cardiovascular system and metabolism	[35]
NOCs association with colorectal cancer	[43]	Immune response modulation	[48]
Red meat consumption and increased risk of bladder cancer	[44]
RNO involvement in skin cancer	[45]
Dietary intakes of nitrate and nitrite and their associations with site-specific cancer risks	[46]
Indirect association of consumption of red meat with added nitrite and nitrate and elevated likelihood of stroke	[33]
Formation of compounds, i.e., RNOS, leading to conditions of nitrosative and oxidative stress	[30,34]
Altered immunogenicity due to RNS interactions	[49]