Eating processed meat like sausage every day can increase your risk of developing heart disease while red meat is not as harmful as processed meat, claims researchers. It is found that meat which has been salted, cured and processed in other ways can also raise the risk of developing diabetes. Salts and chemical additive used on processed meat are associated with ill health, if consumed regularly.
Previous study has connected eating large amount of ham and bacon to bowel and breast cancer. The study has also found that eating unprocessed meat like pork and beef does not raise the risk of diseases. This was despite the fact that both forms of meats have similar contents of fat. Salts in processed meat can increase the blood pressure in some people which is the major cause of heart disease.
Chemical preservatives such as nitrate can encourage atherosclerosis and reduce glucose tolerance than can lead to heart disease and diabetes. In twenty studies that involve more than one million people researchers from Harvard School of Public Health analyze meat eating habits of the people. They concluded that people who eat large amount of processed meat have higher risk of heart disease and diabetes.
They also found that fifty gram serving of processed meat which equivalent of two rashers of bacon or a sausage, a day was associated with a forty two percent higher risk of developing coronary heart disease and nineteen percent higher of diabetes. It is not the meat itself which is unhealthy but salts and chemical preservatives used in curing process, explain researchers.
People who like red meat they can still add it as a part of balanced heart healthy diet. They should go for lean cuts and aim to cook from scratch using healthier cooking methods like baking or grilling. For adding flavor they can try using fresh and dried herbs like chilies and spices instead of salts, explains Victoria Taylor, senior heart health dietician at the British Heart Foundation.