Eating of processed meats bad for asthma says study

EATING a lot of cured and processed meat such as ham and salami is linked to worsening asthma symptoms, according to research.

Four or more weekly servings – considered to be a high dietary intake – seem to have the greatest impact on symptoms, the findings published in Thorax suggest.

Cured and processed meat is rich in nitrites, which may have a role in airway inflammation – a feature of asthma.

To find out if dietary processed meat intake was associated with the worsening of asthma symptoms over time, and what role, if any, obesity might have, the researchers drew on data from participants in the French Epidemiological study on the Genetics and Environment of Asthma (Egea).

It tracked the health, through surveys and medical examination, of more than 2,000 asthma patients, their close relatives and a comparison group from five cities in France for 20 years.

After taking account of potentially influential factors such as smoking, regular physical activity, age, sex and educational attainment, those who ate the most cured meats were 76 per cent more likely to experience worsening asthma symptoms.

Being overweight or obese, which has previously been linked to worsening asthma, accounted for 14 per cent of this association, suggesting that processed meat intake may have an independent role in asthma symptoms, according to the researchers.

This was an observational study, so no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect.

It said the symptom score may have been affected by smoking or chronic lung disease that shares symptoms with asthma.