Doctors are warning parents against feeding their children hot dogs, after new research reveals that eating them can increase the risk of kids getting leukemia.

Research shows that children who consume more than 12 hot dogs per month have a staggering 9% increased risk of contracting leukemia, according to a study by the University of Southern California School of Medicine.

Additonally, pregnant mothers consuming more than just one hot dog per week increases the risk that the baby will get a brain tumor.

The reason for these adverse reactions are nitrite additives, which are added in the production of hot dogs in order to prevent botulism.

During the cooking process, nitrates are combined with the amines in the meat and create a dangerous cancer-causing compound known as N-nitroso.

Simpleorganiclife.org reports: Equally, a father who often ate hot dogs before conceiving a child also imparts a high likeliness of cancer to his child.

The problem? Nitrite additives.

Nitrites are an additive added to hot dogs, usually to combat botulism.

During the process of cooking the ‘dog, nitrates combine with amines that are naturally present in the meat to form N-nitroso, which is a seriously carcinogenic compound.

If you must feed your family hot dogs, look for nitrite-free meats or limit the amount of hot dogs you and your family eat.

You can also request that supermarkets begin carrying nitrite-free hot dogs exclusively and lobby your local school board to ditch hot dogs that contain nitrites.