Headache Triggers - Nitrates and Nitrites in Drinking Water

Ever thought something as simple as a glass of drinking water could contain chemicals, nitrates and nitrites in particular, that act as headache triggers? It’s true. Nitrates and nitrites are both chemicals present in drinking water that can cause a headache or migraine. Nitrate is a water-soluble inorganic chemical. This means it dissolves in water, leaving no trace that it is there. Nitrates, which are naturally present in the environment, can usually be found in the soil, seawater, freshwater as well as the air. However, it has been found that products such as fertilizers, sewage and animal manure can raise the nitrate levels in drinking water when the water is contaminated by these products.

Nitrate into Nitrite

Once inside the human body, nitrate is often changed into a harmful chemical called nitrite. For instance, after you consume a food or beverage that contains this chemical, your saliva turns the nitrate into nitrite. In adults, teens and older children, about 10% of the nitrate consumed is turned into nitrite. Babies, however, convert about 20% of nitrate in their foods into nitrite. In babies, this conversion also occurs in the digestive system, meaning they are at a higher risk of suffering side effects of nitrite.

Effects of Nitrites

Nitrites generally affect the hemoglobin, the component of the blood that transports oxygen to all of your body’s parts. When nitrite is present in the body, however, this nitrite changes the hemoglobin into a non-oxygen carrying substance called ‘methemoglobin’. This causes a disruption in the body’s ability to transport oxygen and leaves it with a lower than usual level of oxygen. It is this reduction in oxygen that causes headaches as well as breathlessness and lethargy.

Infants, especially those younger than six months of age, are particularly at risk for suffering the side effects of nitrite because:

• their bodies convert nitrates into nitrites at nearly double to rate of adults;
• compared with adults, the hemoglobin in babies is more easily changed into methemoglobin; and
• compared with adults, babies have fewer of the enzymes that change methemoglobin back into hemoglobin.

In fact, if a baby's nitrite levels become high enough, the baby is at risk for developing a condition known as ‘blue baby syndrome’. This condition gets its name because the oxygen depleted blood causes the skin to have a bluish hue.

Pregnant women are also at risk for suffering the negative effects of nitrite. This is because pregnant women already tend to have higher methemoglobin levels during their last ten weeks of pregnancy.

Also at risk for suffering the negative effects of nitrites are people with digestive problems as a result of low stomach acid.

Rural Areas at Risk

People who live in rural areas are particularly at risk for having high levels of nitrite both because of where they live, and their source of water. In country areas, most people get their drinking water from a well, instead of from a water plant or system like city dwellers. Many farmers in rural areas also use nitrate fertilizers on their crops. When it rains, nitrates from these crops are washed into the ground and contaminate the drinking water causing it to contain higher levels of nitrate.

Nitrate and Nitrites in Food

While it is true nitrates are present in ordinary tap water, our main source of nitrate is the food that we eat each day. In fact, the average American consumes between 75-100 mcg of nitrate daily. Foods containing nitrate include processed meats, ham, hot dogs, spinach, celery, beets, lettuce and root vegetables.

Vegetarians and people who eat a large number of vegetables each day may consume as many as 250 mg of nitrate in a single day. Along with the nitrates we ingest, our bodies also produce about 62 mg of nitrate on an average day. If you are sick or have an infection, your body will produce even more of this chemical.

Avoiding Nitrates and Nitrates

If you suspect nitrates are causing your headaches, it is possible to avoid eating foods that contain nitrates. You should also have your drinking water tested for nitrates. If the test results indicate that the water contains more than 10 mg of nitrate per liter, here are some things you should do:

• Do not give the water to a baby to drink or use it to prepare their food.
• Do not boil the water. Doing so will not lower the nitrate level. In fact it will raise the level as a result of some water evaporating away.
• Do not drink the water if you are pregnant.
• If a baby's skin near the mouth, hands or feet becomes blue-tinged or gray, consult a doctor right away.

Amyl Nitrite

Another harmful form of nitrite which can result in headaches is the chemical amyl nitrite. This chemical is becoming common as a recreational drug with users inhaling the fumes of the chemical for their intoxicating effects. In modern medicine, amyl nitrite is used to treat angina and other heart problems because it lowers blood pressure by increasing the size of the blood vessels. However, it is this increase in the size of the blood vessels that triggers headaches by causing the blood vessels in the brain to press on nerves. It is this pressure on the nerves that causes headache pain.

Next time you suffer a headache, you might want to check your drinking water for nitrates and nitrites, chemicals that can trigger these unwelcome pains.

Headache Triggers - Nitrates and Nitrites in Drinking Water