- A large study conducted for almost 10 years finds that eating even small amounts of processed meat, like sausages, can significantly increase the risk of heart disease and death.
- Experts say the high salt, preservative, and fat content of these foods might be why. They encourage people to eat a more plant-based diet while avoiding saturated fat.
- Experts recommend eating all foods, including processed meat, in moderation.
Researchers from McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences in Canada have found that eating as little as 6 ounces of processed meat per week could significantly increase the risk of heart disease and death.
Meat is considered processed if it’s been preserved by smoking, salting, curing, or adding preservatives.
That’s the equivalent of eating just two sausages — in a week.
“We found consumption of 150 grams [just over 5 ounces] or more of processed meat per week was associated with a 46 percent higher chance of cardiovascular disease and 51 percent higher chance of death compared with those who did not consume processed meat,” co-author Mahshid Dehghan, PhD, investigator of global health at the David Braley Cardiac, Vascular, and Stroke Research Institute, told Healthline.
The
Source: healthline