Do processed meats increase heart disease?

Scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health have been studying the dietary advantages and disadvantages of processed and unprocessed meats. The results are tending to indicate that an increased consumption of processed meats may be a contributor to increased heart disease and diabetes.

Processed meats include; bacon, sausages and deli meats (eg salami).

The researchers believe that as a result of the findings of this study, more research needs to be done on this issue. The study was a review of 1600 studies which involved about 1.2million people.

The meta-analysis from the study has shown that a hot dog a day, or 50g of processed meats, may be linked to an increase of around 42 percent in the risk of heart disease development and increase in Type 2 Diabetes of 19 percent.

At the same time, no increase in risks could be identified in unprocessed red meats. The nitrites and increased salt levels in processed meats may be the reason for the difference according to the researchers.

The lead author of the study, Renata Micha, said that the fat levels were similar in both the processed and unprocessed meats. “This suggests that differences in salt and preservatives, rather than fats, might explain the higher risk of heart disease and diabetes seen with processed meats, but not with unprocessed red meats.”

Source: Circulation
Red and Processed Meat Consumption and Risk of Incident Coronary Heart Disease, Stroke, and Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Authors: R. Micha, S. K. Wallace, D. Mozaffarian