A new study from the Harvard boys has just come out. The study was done by the Department of Epidemiology Harvard School of Public Health, and Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and Channing Laboratory. There has been study after study that has come out toting the bad effects of meat on our bodies. There are issues that stem from cancer to heart disease. This new study was published in the journal Circulation. This time they are blasting processed meats.
The study went through more than 1600 studies and broke it down to 20 that investigated a link between meat and disease risk in more than 1.2 million people. Here is what they found. If you eat processed meats like sausage, bacon or cold cuts, you have a 42% higher risk of heart disease. It also says you have a 19% higher risk for type 2 diabetes. You might want to think twice about adding these to your diet.
So why are they picking on processed meats? Well, both processed meats and unprocessed meats contain very similar amounts of saturated fats and cholesterol, which can do a number on your arteries to begin with, but processed meats contain considerably higher amounts of preservatives and sodium. I will also point out that the “Smokey flavor” in these meats creates even more havoc. Do a search on this in Google.
I realize that meat is a staple food in our western diet, but so is obesity and heart disease. I am not saying you have to cut meat out all together. I eat some meat every once in a while. What I am saying is to get smart about your diet. Don’t take my word about it. Do your homework. The internet is a powerful tool. The more you read, the better feel you will get for pointing out the bogus information. Common sense tells you that if the article was subsidized by the meat packing industry, you are not getting the whole truth. Learn to read between the lines.