Consumption of processed meat can contribute to asthma symptoms , researchers warn.
Consuming more than four servings a week of it is risky. This is clear from a survey conducted among nearly 1,000 French people. According to researchers, the reason may be due to the preservative nitrite, which is used in meats such as sausages , sausages and ham. It can damage the airways.
Experts add that this connection has not yet been proven and that further studies are needed. Processed meats are already linked to the development of cancer . Researchers recommend that the daily consumption of red and processed meat should not exceed 70 years.
The focus of the French study is on food and health. It took place between 2003 and 2013. Nearly half of the participants were patients with asthma , and the rest were included in the control group and had no history of the disease.
Researchers are watching in particular for asthma - related symptoms - shortness of breath, wheezing , chest tightness, and consumption of processed meats. One serving includes two slices of ham, one sausage and two slices of sausage.
It has been found that among people suffering from asthma , higher meat consumption is associated with worsening of the symptoms of the disease. The strongest worsening of asthma at the end of the study was observed among those who consumed more than four servings of processed meats per week.
Researchers emphasize that these results are not a sufficient reason to blame the diet. They add that there are many factors in our lives that can worsen asthma symptoms .
Researchers are trying to eliminate the most obvious ones by controlling obesity, for example, but the link between eating processed meat and worsening asthma symptoms remains.
The data are published in the journal Thorax .