Hotdogs, bacon, sausage, and salami are all iconic elements of American food culture, but emerging evidence suggests that these processed meats are linked to several of the nation’s leading diseases. Recent estimates indicate that the average American should be cautious about their consumption of processed meat, as it can have detrimental effects on health.
Public health data suggests that a 30 percent reduction in processed meat consumption, equating to cutting out around 61 grams (2.1 ounces) per week, could lead to significant health benefits. These benefits include preventing 352,900 cases of type 2 diabetes, 92,500 cases of cardiovascular disease, 53,300 cases of colorectal cancer, and 16,700 deaths from any cause over the next decade. Even a modest 5 percent reduction in processed meat intake at a national level could still result in public health improvements.
Processed meat, such as bacon and salami, has been more clearly linked to increased risks of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer, like colorectal cancer, compared to unprocessed red meat like ground beef or sirloin. However, there is still ongoing research on the potential negative health outcomes associated with unprocessed red meat.
An international team of researchers used microsimulation models based on data from 8,665 individuals to create simulations for over 242 million adults in the US. The models indicated that reducing daily consumption of processed meat by 8.7 grams and unprocessed red meat by 14 grams could lead to over a million fewer cases of type 2 diabetes, over 382,400 fewer cases of cardiovascular disease, 84,400 fewer occurrences of colorectal cancer, and 62,200 fewer deaths over a 10-year period.
In 2015, the World Health Organization classified processed meat as “carcinogenic”, and a 2021 meta-analysis found that consuming 50 grams of processed meat per day increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18 percent. The American Heart Association recommends limiting processed meat intake to about 100 grams per week or roughly 14 grams per day. Despite these recommendations, the national consumption of processed meat in the US has not decreased over the past two decades.
Given that nearly 12 percent of the US population is impacted by diabetes, with nearly 30 percent of those over the age of 65 affected, reducing the intake of processed meat could significantly improve public health. As the Dietary Guidelines for Americans are set to be updated in 2025, specific recommendations to decrease processed meat consumption could have widespread implications for food policy, food assistance programs, school lunches, and primary nutrition education in the USA.
While processed meats are deeply entrenched in American food culture, the emerging evidence linking them to chronic diseases highlights the importance of reducing consumption. By making small changes to daily diets and focusing on fresh, frozen, or canned meat products instead of processed meats, individuals can improve their overall health outcomes and potentially prevent a significant number of cases of chronic diseases in the future.
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