- Ham, hot dogs, and other processed red meats are increasingly linked to health problems.
- Eating processed meat regularly may raise the odds of developing dementia, cancer, and heart disease.
- Studies suggest switching to foods like beans and fish instead helps improve longevity and health.
Bacon, ham, and sausage could be shaving healthy years off your life, growing evidence suggests. Research over the past few years has linked processed meats to a higher risk of illnesses like cancer, heart disease, and most recently, cognitive decline and dementia.
Like other ultra-processed foods, processed meats typically contain additives like salt, sugar, and preservatives to keep them shelf stable.
Scientists say there’s plenty more research to be done to confirm a direct cause-and-effect link between meats and disease risk.
So far, the latest science offers five compelling reasons to cut back on processed meat.
Link to higher risk of dementia
Daniel Wang, nutrition professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health recently authored a study which found eating as little as two slices of bacon or a hot dog daily can age your brain.
Wang and his team studied data from more than 130,000 American healthcare workers over more than four decades.
His analysis found that people were more likely to develop dementia if they ate processed meat regularly. Eating a quarter of a serving daily, on average, was enough to make a difference, according to the data. People who ate processed meat were also more likely to self-report symptoms of cognitive decline like memory problems or loss of concentration.
Their brains also aged more quickly, measuring about 1.6 years older per serving of processed meat.
The findings were shared in a preliminary presentation in August 2024, and published January 15 in the journal Neurology.
Nitrates in bacon and ham may increase cancer risk
Foods like deli meat, ham, and bacon get flavor and color from substances called nitrates, which also stave off bacteria.
Nitrates are also a known carcinogen, according to the World Health Organization, because they can form cancer-causing compounds.
Nitrates are particularly linked to higher risk of some cancers — a 2022 study found that eating more of them was linked to higher risk of breast cancer and prostate cancer.
2 servings of bacon puts you at risk of high blood pressure
Sodium, or salt, is another ingredient that gives processed meats flavor and prevent spoiling.
Too much salt contributes to high blood pressure, known as hypertension, by causing your body to hold on to more fluid. Current dietary guidelines recommending sticking to less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) of sodium per day. A serving of bacon has more than half the daily allowance at 1,430 mg, while a serving of ham or sausage has between 760 to more than 1,000 mg.
Reducing your blood pressure to healthy levels by eating less sodium can help prevent heart attack and stroke.
Preservatives in meat linked to Type 2 diabetes
Nitrates and other stabilizing ingredients in processed meat may also increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes, according to some research. Scientists suspect that’s because the preservatives can damage the pancreas which helps regulate blood sugar.
While most diabetes prevention focuses on managing carb and sugar intake, cutting back on processed red meat may be helpful too.
Red meat and heart disease
Bacon, sausage, ham, and other processed red meats also tend to be high in saturated fat and cholesterol, which studies have linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular problems like heart disease.
The research is complex, since diets high in processed meat tend to be high in other processed foods, making it difficult to work out which foods are the culprit in certain health risks.
Still, the latest recommendations advise limiting saturated fat and cholesterol for a healthy heart.
Swap in fish, beans, and nuts for healthier aging
Eating for longevity isn’t just about cutting out unhealthy foods, but also eating more nutrient-dense foods.
Some of the world’s healthiest ways to eat, from the Mediterranean diet to the MIND diet, are high in longevity superfoods like beans and nuts.
Here are some options:
- Try replacing one daily serving of processed red meat with nuts or legumes — in Wang’s recent study, that was linked to about 20% lower risk of cognitive decline and dementia.
- Switch to seafood. That was linked to 26% lower dementia risk in the study.
- Add berries, leafy greens, olive oil, and whole grains to your diet. They’re rich in nutrients like fiber, healthy fats, and magnesium, which help support a healthy brain, gut, and heart.
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