Processed meats raise heart and diabetes risk

Tuesday, June 01, 2010

Eating bacon, sausage or processed deli meats can increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes, a recent US study has shown. In contrast, no increase was found when unprocessed red meats such as beef, pork or lamb were eaten.

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) reviewed 20 studies that included more than 1.2 million people from 10 countries. The study was designed to examine the relationship between eating processed meat, unprocessed red meat and total meat consumption with the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

The study defined red meat as any unprocessed beef, lamb or pork, excluding poultry. Processed meat was taken as any meat that was preserved by smoking, curing, or salting, or containing chemical preservatives. These meats included bacon, salami, sausages, hot dogs or processed deli meats.

The results published online in the journal Circulation found that those who ate at least one serving of processed meat a day had a 42 per cent higher risk of heart disease and a 19 per cent higher risk of type 2 diabetes than those who did not.

The researchers found that processed and unprocessed meats contained similar amounts of fat and cholesterol. However processed meats contained on average four times more sodium and 50 per cent more nitrate preservatives. These differences in salt and preservatives, rather than fat, could account for the increased risk in heart disease and diabetes.

High levels of salt in the diet is strongly linked to high blood pressure, consequently increasing the risk of heart disease and diabetes. To reduce these risks choosing meals and foods that have a lower salt content or have no-added salt are recommended. To find foods lower in salt check the sodium content on the Nutrition Information Panel (NIP) of products and choose those that are less than or equal to 120mg per 100g..It is also best to reduce the amount of added salt in cooking and at the table to meals and substitute this with herbs, spices and/or condiments.
 
The researchers also noted that people who eat no more than one serve of processed meat per week have a lower risk of heart disease and diabetes.  This however should not be taken as a licence to eat unlimited amounts of unprocessed red meat.

Sources:
Renata Micha, Sarah K. Wallace, Dariush Mozaffarian. Red and Processed Meat Consumption and Risk of Incident Coronary Heart Disease, Stroke, and Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Circulation, online May 17, 2010.

Harvard School of Public Health Press Release. Eating Processed Meats, but Not Unprocessed Red Meats, May Raise Risk of Heart Disease and Diabetes. Online. 17 May 2010.