A few weeks before they were linked to enhanced health and endurance in sport and lowered chances of cancer.

The thing they miss it isn't Nitrites, it's nitrosamines that occur when you cook Nitrites at ridiculously high temperatures, much higher than you need to cook meat.

And only then if you don't have enough Molybdenum Cofactor dependent Nitrite reductases. AKA Molybdenum deficiency.

You can break down Nitrites and Nitrosamines into simple old NO2 if you don't have a Molybdenum deficiency.