Beware! Processed Meat Can Worsen Asthma

Eating processed meats such as salami, sausages and ham several times a week could worsen wheezing and other asthma symptoms according to a French study which involved a thousand people. Experts have recommended the consumption of not more than 70 grams of processed meat per day.

While researchers need to conduct a more thorough investigation to prove the link, initial probe shows that the preservative nitrite could be the substance that aggravates the airways problem of persons with asthma. It can be recalled that researchers have previously warned about the link between processed meat and cancer.

BBC said the study on food safety and health was conducted from 2003 to 2013 with half of the subject suffering from asthma and the other half without the condition at all. The study shows that higher consumption of processed meat among those with asthma resulted to worsening asthma symptoms such as wheezing and breathlessness. A single portion is equal to two salami slices, one sausage or two ham slices.

The survey looked specifically at asthma symptoms - breathlessness, wheeze, chest tightness - and intake of cured meat: a single portion was two slices of ham, one sausage or two slices of salami. Among those with asthma, consumption of over four portions every week has aggravated their condition.

However, NHS said obesity could have also been a factor in the effects since it is known to increase the body's inflammation. Experts, however, questioned the result of the study considering that the diet of a person consists of a variety of foods. The study, which was published in Thorax, was conducted by researchers from various universities and institutions namely the Clinique Universitaire de Pneumologie in France, the Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM), the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre and Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology in Spain, Harvard Medical School in the US and Instituto Nacional De Salud Publica in Mexico.

Daily Mail however quoted British Dietetic Association spokesman Catherine Collins who said "diet does have a role to play in prevention and management of asthma, but an association with one aspect of diet - in this case processed meats - doesn't, and can't, imply causation. A varied and Mediterranean-style diet remains the optimal anti-inflammatory style diet, whether you have asthma or not."