There isn’t an exact definition of 'processed meat,' but most often (including in this article), it refers to meats preserved by smoking, curing, salting or adding chemicals such as sodium nitrite. They include ham, bacon, corned beef, salami, bologna, pastrami, hot dogs and bratwurst.
Studies have examined whether they increase your risk of cancer or other diseases. The news isn’t good.
Processed meat is generally considered unhealthy.
It has been linked with diseases like cancer and heart disease in numerous studies.
There is no doubt that processed meat contains many harmful chemicals that are not naturally present in fresh meat.
This article takes a detailed look at the health effects of processed meat.
What is Processed Meat?
Processed meat is meat that has been preserved by curing, salting, smoking, drying or canning.
Food products categorized as processed meat include:
-Sausages, hot dogs, salami.
-Bacon, ham.
-Salted and cured meat, corned beef.
-Smoked meat.
-Dried meat, beef jerky.
-Canned meat.
On the other hand, meat that has been frozen or undergone mechanical processing like cutting and slicing is still considered unprocessed.
Eating Processed Meat is Associated with an Unhealthy Lifestyle
Processed meat has consistently been linked with harmful effects on health.
This is a fact that health-conscious people have been aware of for decades.
For this reason, eating high amounts of processed meat is more common among people with unhealthy lifestyle habits.
In fact, smoking is more common among those who eat lots of processed meat. Their intake of fruit and vegetables is also much lower Most observational studies on processed meat and health outcomes try to correct for these factors. However, these methods are never perfect.
It is possible that the links found between processed meat and disease are partly due to the fact that people who eat processed meat tend to do other things that are not associated with good health.
Nevertheless, studies consistently find strong links between processed meat consumption and various chronic diseases.
Processed Meat is Linked with Chronic Disease
Eating processed meat is associated with increased risk of many chronic diseases.
These include:
High blood pressure (hypertension)
Heart disease
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Bowel and stomach cancer
The studies on processed meat consumption in humans are all observational in nature.
They can show that people who eat processed meat are more likely to get these diseases, but they can not prove that the processed meat caused them.
Even so, the evidence is convincing because the links are strong and consistent.
Additionally, all of this is supported by studies in animals. For example, studies in rats show that eating processed meat raises the risk of bowel cancer .
One thing is clear, processed meat contains harmful chemical compounds that may increase the risk of chronic disease. The most widely studied compounds are discussed here below.
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)
Meat smoking is one of the oldest preservation methods, often used in combination with salting or drying.
It leads to the formation of various potentially harmful substances. These include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
PAHs are a large class of substances that form when organic matter burns.
They are transferred into the air with smoke and accumulate on the surface of smoked meat products and meat that is barbecued, grilled or roasted over an open fire.
They can be formed from:
Burning wood or charcoal.
Dripping fat that burns on a hot surface.
Burnt or charred meat.
For this reason, smoked meat products can be high in PAHs .
It is believed that PAHs may contribute to some of the adverse health effects of processed meat.
Numerous studies in animals have shown that some PAHs can cause cancer.
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