Bewerkt vlees en COPD*
Uit een studie onder bijna 43.000 mensen die 12 jaar gevolgd werden blijkt dat het dagelijks eten van bewerkt vlees, zoals worsten, salami, bacon en vleeswaren de kans op het krijgen van de longziekte COPD ruim twee en halve keer hoger is dan mensen die geen bewerkt vlees eten. In bewerkt vlees zit vaak veel conserveermiddelen als nitraten (E251) en nitrieten (E250) die net als sigarettenrook en luchtvervuiling bepaalde reactieve zuurstofmoleculen en andere stikstofverbindingen vormen die het ontstaan van longziektes doen bevorderen. Trouwens de kleinste kans op het krijgen van COPD ontstaat door niet meer te roken.
Bacon, hot dogs could damage the lungs
Men who smoke may be increasing their risk of developing emphysema and chronic bronchitis if they eat lots of cured meat, new research shows.
Cured meats such as sausage, ham, bologna, bacon and hot dogs contain high levels of nitrites, which are added to prevent rancidity and bacterial growth and enhance a meat's pink color.
And just like cigarette smoking and air pollution, nitrites generate molecules known as reactive oxygen and nitrogen species that have been linked to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Dr. Raphaelle Varraso of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and colleagues note.
The chief risk factor for COPD, which encompasses chronic bronchitis and emphysema, is cigarette smoking. Research by Varraso and colleagues suggests that eating cured meats may worsen the harmful effects of smoking on risk of COPD.
They looked at data on 42,915 men participating in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, 111 of whom were diagnosed with COPD within 12 years of enrolling in the study.
Men who ate cured meats at least once a day were 2.64 times more likely than those who almost never ate cured meats to develop COPD, the researchers found.
Cured meat consumption has also been linked to diabetes and certain types of cancer, Varraso noted in comments.
"Uncured" versions of processed meats are likely no better for health, according to the researcher.
But regardless of the current findings, Varraso added, the most important way to protect oneself from COPD is to quit smoking.
SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology (Januari
2008)
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