Heart Disease Can Be Prevented

Harvard researchers examined the results of 20 different studies involving 1.2 million people. They found that eating unprocessed meat (think steak or unprocessed pork or lamb) was NOT associated with any increased risk of heart disease, BUT eating processed meats (like cold cuts, sausage and bacon) was linked to a 42 percent increased risk of heart disease and 19 percent increased risk of diabetes. They specifically looked at the saturated fat content between the unprocessed and processed meats and didn't find much of a difference. The bottom line of this study is that saturated fat from meat does not increase heart disease if the meat is unprocessed.

Nitrates and salt might account for the disparity. Also the fact that processed meats are cooked at very high temperatures. This can cause some of the fats to oxidize. Oxidized fats tend to cling to the inside of arteries.

All it takes to increase heart disease is to eat a typical serving a day (Like a hot dog or some sliced cold cuts in a sandwich) to reach this risk. When you consider the number of people who have bacon for breakfast most days of the week or have a ham sandwich for lunch every day, the impact of processing is impressive.

Many Americans tend to accept processing, antibiotics and hormones in their food without much of a fight-these additives may make our food more flavorful and likely cheaper as well. But it seems as though processing may come at a price-an increased risk of heart disease. You can take some steps to reduce your risk by avoiding bacon, sausage and deli meats, and try to focus on eating real food.