Asthma is a condition where the smaller airways, in other words, bronchioles of the lungs will be affected. From time to time these airways narrow in people who have this condition. This causes some typical symptoms. Asthma can start at any age but most commonly it starts in childhood. As per a study, 1 in 10 children and 1 in 20 adults have asthma. Also, asthma runs in some families but numerous people with asthma will have no other family members affected by the condition?
Are you a great fan of processed meat? Would you like to gorge on burgers and sausages? Do you suffer from asthma? Then this is the right time for you to know about processed meat! It’s always better to keep yourself in the loop of healthy life.
Symptoms of Untreated Asthma:
Following are the common symptoms of untreated asthma. If you find any of these symptoms ensure to consult with your health specialist.
- Cold
- Wheeze
- Chest tightness
- Chest Infection
- Fever amid the day
- Breathless
- Cough
Each of these symptoms may last for hours or days and it might persist for weeks and months unless it’s treated.
Why NO to processed meat?
In general, cured and processed meats are rich in nitrites that may have a role in airway inflammation which is known as a typical feature of asthma.
However, a recent research suggests that when you consume processed meat it might trigger more symptoms in asthma patients. To be precise, people with asthma who are eating over four portions of processed meat in a week are at a higher risk of experiencing the triggers for other serious symptoms.
Risk for asthma sufferers
A recent study published in the journal Thorax found that people with asthma who eat processed meat may be dangerous for their health. The researchers explained it as ‘Processed meat intake — a recent carcinogenic factor — it may increase the risk of asthma as well as COPD. The body mass index (BMI) is also a likely risk factor for asthma. We investigated the connection between the processed meat intake as well as worsening asthma symptoms in adults, and here the role of BMI came as a potential mediator.’
More meat, More Symptoms
For their review, researchers took after 971 adults, around 40 percent of whom had asthma when the review started. Researchers followed the well-being of the members and they requested that every individual report what number of segments of prepared meat they ate every week.
Researchers balanced for variables, for example, smoking habits, age and work out. The consequences of the review demonstrated that people who expended at least four bits of handled meat every week were 76 percent more inclined to have exacerbating side effects of asthma, contrasted with the people who ate minimal measure of prepared meat. On these outcomes, the review creators composed:
‘Higher processed meat intake was connected with intensifying asthma symptoms after some time, through an immediate impact and to a lesser degree an impact intervened by BMI. This examination broadens the impact of eating routine on asthma in those adults.’
The Inflammation Cause – Nitrates
While the excess weight is one of the important factors in asthma, according to the researchers only 14 % of the connection between processed meat intake and worsening asthma symptoms that could be attributed to BMI.
Since this study was observational and yet there is more research needs to be done, it seems that from this information that processed meat and worsening asthma may be correlated. This association is thought to be linked to this particular nitrate content of these processed meat products. As we all know, nitrates can cause inflammation, which includes inflammation of the airways.
Additional Reasons To Avoid Processed Meat:
Although you don’t have asthma, still there are many reasons to stay away from these processed meats completely. The following are just a few:
- Processed meats are linked strongly to colorectal cancer, even though it is also implicated in 16 other types of cancer
- The WHO has classified processed meats as carcinogenic to humans
- Eating processed meats may raise your risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes
- Processed meats have been linked to raising pancreatic cancer risk
Are you a hardcore processed meat fan? Do you like to pile your sandwiches high with processed roast of beef? Then this is the time to know that these meats are really not worth the risks to your health.
A delicious and much healthier option is to roast your own organic meats at home. If you think made a big roast, then you can just slice it, store the slices in the freezer or fridge, and have a yummy, home-cooked meat on hand – heads down – no nitrates included.
