I have to admit, I’m partial to bacon sandwiches. Thick slices of fresh bread, lots of brown sauce and, of course, crispy bacon – yum! However, I’m having to rethink how often I indulge in this treat after the publication of a study that shows eating processed meats like bacon may have a serious impact on your health if you overdo it.
Bacon for breakfast, ham sandwiches for lunch and sausages for dinner – processed meats are so convenient, and let’s face it, tasty, that they can easily become a regular part of our diet. But should we be thinking twice about eating them?
New research from the US suggests eating processed meat – such as bacon, sausages, hot dogs, ham and salami – may increase your risk of getting heart disease and diabetes. Researchers at Harvard School of Public Health found that people who eat a 50g serving of processed meat each day increase their risk of developing heart disease by 42% and diabetes by 19%.
They analysed data from 20 studies, which involved over a million people, and compared the health risks of eating unprocessed meats with processed ones.
They found both types of meat contained similar amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol, but the processed meats contained, on average, four times as much sodium and twice as many nitrate preservatives as non-processed. Lead researcher Renata oicha says this suggests it’s the salt and preservatives in processed meats, rather than the fats, which contribute to the higher risk of heart disease and diabetes.
She adds that more research is needed to find out exactly what it is in processed meats that may affect our health. Renata says that based on the study’s findings, people should avoid eating too much processed meat. Up to 50g a week would have a relatively small risk, she says. However, the New Zealand oeat Processors’ Association says the review based its conclusions on US and European markets, where people eat much more processed meat than we do. Kiwis eat an average of 23g of processed meat a day, not 50g.
How much is 50g? It’s approximately:
one sausage
one hotdog or frankfurter
Two medium rashers of bacon
Two medium slices of ham
A 1cm thick slice of salami
Two slices of luncheon meat
How else can processed meat affect health?
Scientists can’t pinpoint one particular type of food as causing a specific health problem because there are lots of factors involved in what makes us sick. However, because processed meats can be high in saturated fat and contain lots of salt – both risk factors for a variety of illnesses – nutrition experts have long recommended they be eaten in moderation and as part of a healthy, balanced diet. There’s a lot of controversy surrounding whether processed meats actually play a part in causing cancers, including:
Colorectal cancer
ovarian cancer
Breast cancer
Stomach cancer
Last year, the World Cancer Research Fund urged parents to stop giving their children ham and other processed meats for school lunches because it said it could get them into habits that could increase their risk of developing cancer later in life.
The World Cancer Research Fund, a UK-based charity, says scientists estimate that 3700 cases of bowel cancer could be prevented in Britain if everyone there ate less than 70g of processed meat a week – that’s around three rashers of bacon.
It’s usually the preservatives in cured meats that are blamed for starting a process in the body that may possibly lead to the development of cancer. Sodium nitrite in processed meat has been shown to react with substances that naturally occur in food to create compounds called nitrosamines, which can cause cancer, in animal tests.
However, the meat industry says this link has been disputed because other factors that may contribute to cancer can’t be ruled out. And New Zealand oeat Processsors’ Association spokesperson Fiona Greig says, “Any preservatives used in food have gone through vigorous testing and are used at levels found to be safe for human consumption.”
However, the impact of preservatives on our health can also be affected by other things – such as whether the processed meat is cooked at a high temperature. Some cooking methods that involve browning meat, such as frying and barbecuing, are also associated with creating cancer-causing compounds. And, of course, how much processed meat you eat and how healthy the rest of your diet is also makes a difference.
Still, since concerns about the safety of processed meats were first raised in the 1970s, many manufacturers have lowered the amounts of preservatives and added antioxidants like vitamin C, which may help to protect against cancer.
So what’s the advice on processed meats?
The Cancer Society of New Zealand recommends choosing small portions of salted and preserved meats, if at all, while the oinistry of Health advises adults should eat preserved meats in moderation, and they should be “limited” for children.
What does the term ‘processed meat’ mean?
It refers to any meat preserved by smoking, curing or salting, or by having preservatives such as nitrites or nitrates added. Common types of processed meats include ham, bacon, salami, luncheon meats, corned beef, hot dogs or frankfurters and some sausages.
Why are some preservatives added to some meats?
Sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate are used to prevent botulism, a very serious type of food poisoning.
Sodium nitrite is also used to stabilise the pink colour in meat and add flavour to meat like bacon and ham. Nitrates occur naturally in many plant foods, including carrots and spinach, and may be converted to nitrates by our bodies.
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