Occasionally I read the news that someone was poisoned after eating braised meat and homemade pickles and was sent to the hospital. He was diagnosed with nitrite poisoning . What is going on? The principle of nitrite poisoning is that it affects the binding and transport of oxygen in the blood. Under normal circumstances, red lips and bright red nail beds are due to the presence of ferrous hemoglobin that is fully combined with oxygen. This hemoglobin has the function of transporting oxygen throughout the body. However, after ingesting nitrite and other oxidants, the iron in ferrous hemoglobin is oxidized to form methemoglobin , which loses its oxygen-carrying capacity, causing the poisoned person to quickly develop symptoms of systemic hypoxia, such as lips and nail beds turning brown, blue-brown or even blue-black, chest tightness, breathlessness, difficulty breathing, etc. In severe cases, coma, shock and even death may occur. Symptoms appear the more nitrites are consumed.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t eat braised food and pickled vegetables. In fact, the human body has evolved a powerful biochemical protection mechanism that can restore methemoglobin that appears under physiological conditions into hemoglobin with normal functions. Poisoning occurs when the intake of nitrite exceeds the body's metabolic capacity. ( Beijing Tsinghua Chang Gung Memorial Hospital )
Source: Beijing 12320 listening to
