Posted on November 03, 2015 by Jenny Cromack

If you have been reading the papers or listening to the news lately you will have heard that sausages, ham, bacon and other processed meats appear to increase the risk of dying young.

Many people appear to be panicking about this, but how much of this is true?

A study of half a million people across Europe has been conducted to see the how consumption of those meats affects health and concluded that diets high in processed meats were linked to cardiovascular disease, cancer and early deaths. The research stated that is was the salt and chemicals used to preserve the meat that damaged health.

The study followed people from 10 European countries for nearly 13 years on average.
the study showed that people who ate a lot of processed meat were more likely to be obese, smoke and have other health damaging habits, however the research showed that even after those risk factors were accounted for, processed meat still damages health.

1 in every 17 people who were followed during the study died, however those eating more that 160g of processed meat a day (about 2 sausages and 1 rasher of bacon) were 44% more likely to die over a typical follow up time of 12.7 years than those eating 20g of processed meat.

Over the 13 years nearly 10,000 people died from cancer and 5,500 from heart problems.

The picture below shows the amount of preservatives used in 3 processed meats compared with the recommended amount

(picture taken from NHS.co.uk)

What is red and processed meat?

What is red meat?
Red meat includes beef, lamb and pork including minced beef, pork chops and roast lamb. It does not include chicken or turkey meat.

What is processed meat?
Processed meat refers to meat that has been preserved by smoking, curing, salting or adding preservatives. Examples include ham, bacon, pastrami and salami, as well as hot dogs and some sausages. Hamburgers and minced meats only count as processed meat if they have been preserved with salt or chemical additives.

Is meat good for you?
Yes! Meat is a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals such as iron, zinc and B vitamins. It is one of the main sources of vitamin B12, also found in milk.

What do we recommend?

The research shown above is for healthy processed meats, if you buy your meat from a good quality butcher it will be much leaner and will not be preserved with the salts and chemicals that are detrimental to health. Eating lean, locally sourced organic meats is the best option.

Remember meats such as bacon and sausages should be minimised and focus on non-processed meat and fish for your sources of protein.