Bacon, sausage, luncheon meats and cured hams cause emphysema/COPD

"A new study shows that frequent consumption of the cured meats piggies turn into can result in higher risk of lung disease.

The study was conducted at Columbia University Medical Center in New York by Rui Jiang, M.D, and three associates. The researchers examined 7,352 individuals who participated in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted from 1988 to 1994 by the National Center for Health Statistics.

They found that a diet rich in cured meats, like ham, bacon and deli meats, may decrease lung function. Frequent consumers of cured meat have almost double chances of developing COPD, a lung disease often found in chronic smokers.

Participants who ate cured meat products 14 times a month or more were almost twice as likely to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as those who consumed none, according to the scientists.

COPD includes a variety of lung diseases, among which are chronic bronchitis and emphysema. More than 30,000 people in England and Wales die from COPD every year, making it the sixth most common cause of death. In 2004, more than 11 million U.S. adults were estimated to suffer from COPD, making it the fourth leading cause of death in the country.

The average age of participants in the current study was 64.5 years, and 48 percent were male. “Individuals who consumed cured meats frequently were more likely to be male, of lower socio-economic status, to be tobacco users, and were less likely to report physician-diagnosed asthma than individuals who never consumed cured meats,” Dr. Jiang said.

“Those who consumed cured meats more frequently had lower intakes of vitamin C, beta-carotene, fish, fruits, vegetables, and vitamin or mineral supplements. They also had higher intakes of vitamin E and total energy,” he added.

The researchers’ explanation for this heightened risk of COPD in cured meats aficionados is the additives found in the products.

“Cured meats, such as bacon, sausage, luncheon meats and cured hams, are high in nitrites, which are added to meat products as a preservative, an anti-microbial agent, and a color fixative. Nitrates generate reactive nitrogen species that may cause damage to the lungs, producing structural changes resembling emphysema,” Dr. Jiang said.

Food companies add nitrates to meat products so these last longer and to add color. Hot dogs, bacon, packaged or pre-cured ham are examples of meats which commonly contain nitrates.

The researchers noted that high dietary nitrite intake warrants further evaluation in prospective longitudinal studies as a novel risk factor for COPD. To date no other human studies have examined the link between consumption of cured meats and COPD.

The findings of the research were published in the April 2007 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, published by the American Thoracic Society. "

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