Sausages linked to lung disorders

EATING lots of processed meat may raise the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (CoPD), an umbrella term for lung diseases such as emphysema and bronchitis.

In a study of 34,000 women who were monitored for around ten years, those who ate the most processed red meat — such as sausages, salami and ham — had a 36 per cent higher risk compared with those who ate less. the effect was more pronounced in exsmokers, the researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden wrote in the european Journal of nutrition.

one theory is that nitrites added to meat products as preservatives may increase inflammation in the airways and cause Dna damage.