Dive Brief:
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French scientists who studied 971 people during seven years — 42% of them with asthma — found 20% experienced worsening asthma symptoms over time, which researchers linked to increased consumption of cured meat. The study was published in the respiratory medicine journal Thorax.
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After accounting for obesity, smoking, age, physical activity and other factors, the scientists noted that study participants who ate four or more servings of cured meat per week — bacon, pepperoni, ham, salami, corned beef, prosciutto, pastrami, among others — had a 76% greater chance of worsening asthma symptoms compared to those who consumed less than a full serving, according to Ingredients.News.
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"This research extends the deleterious effect of cured meat in health, and the effect of diet on asthma in adults, and provides a novel analytic approach regarding the role of BMI in the diet-asthma association," the study concluded.
Dive Insight:
The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies processed meat as a carcinogen. In this context, "processed" means the meat has been treated through salting, curing, fermenting, and smoking to preserve and/or flavor it, often by using salt, sugar, nitrates and nitrites. Nitrites are associated with certain lung problems, so experts advise anyone who suffers from respiratory problems to avoid such foods.
In the case of the aforementioned French study, it has been criticized for not proving a link between consuming processed meat and asthma symptoms. The head of the U.K.'s Provision Trade Federation, an association representing bacon, ham and other producers, said more research is needed to confirm the connection.
"It seemed to me that it was not a definitive conclusion, and it's one of a number of studies that are raising issues," Andrew Kuyk, director general of the federation, told Food Manufacture.
Dr. Sunit Jariwala, director of allergy and immunology research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, found the study helpful, but he also said the observational design means that it can’t prove cause and effect.
“Cured meats are rich in nitrites which may lead to any kind of oxidative stress related lung damage and asthma,” he told Reuters, adding that obesity is also a major factor with asthma patients.
It's highly doubtful that fans of processed meats will find this or similar studies convincing enough to give up these products. In fact, meat snacks, especially jerky, are growing in popularity because they're viewed as a convenient protein source. A new study by research firm Technavio projects that global meat snack sales will reach $9.47 billion in 2021, reflecting a 9.5% compound annual growth rate, according to Meat + Poultry.
Hormel Foods witnessed such a big demand for precooked bacon that the company decided this past summer to put $130 million into expanding the Kansas plant where it's made. Demand is due to a number of factors: Growing foreign markets, an increase in popularity of Asian cuisines that frequently use pork belly, elevated demand for fast-food breakfasts with bacon and sausage, and more bacon on restaurant menus.
Other studies have found similar health-related results, but they have not been able to curtail meat consumption. The World Cancer Research Fund recommends consumers “choose mostly plant foods, limit red meat and avoid processed meat.” Another study carried out by Oxford University’s department of public health found that eating meat no more than three times a week could prevent 31,000 deaths from heart disease, 9,000 deaths from cancer, and 5,000 deaths from stroke.
It’s interesting that consumers clearly want more bacon at a time when many also report trying to eat a healthier diet. However, there are a number of organic products and some with no nitrates or nitrites added, which may give health-conscious consumers another option. To be sure, a growing number of consumers are making meat and dairy products from plants a bigger part of their diets for a number of reasons including health, environmental and animal treatment, but so far meat appears unready to relinquish its reign as king of the food jungle.