Why Processed Meat is Bad For You

Processed meat is generally considered unhealthy.

在许多研究中，它与癌症和心脏病等疾病联系在一起。

There is no doubt that processed meat contains many harmful chemicals that are not present in fresh meat.

本文详细了解加工肉类的健康效果。

Processed meat is meat that has been preserved by curing, salting, smoking, drying or canning.

Food products categorized as processed meat include:

• 香肠，热狗，蒜味咸腊肠。
• 火腿，腌制培根。
• Salted and cured meat, corned beef.
• 烟熏肉。
• Dried meat,牛肉生涩。
• 罐头肉。

On the other hand, meat that has been frozen or undergonemechanical切割和切片的处理仍然被认为是未加工的。

底线：

All meat that has been smoked, salted, cured, dried or canned is considered processed. This includes sausages, hot dogs, salami, ham and cured bacon.

Processed meat has consistently been linked with harmful effects on health.

这是一个事实，有几十年的健康意识的人已经意识到了。

For this reason, eating high amounts of processed meat is more common among people with unhealthy lifestyle habits.

例如，吸烟在吃大量加工肉的人中更为常见。他们的水果和蔬菜的摄入量也很低（ 1 那 2 ）。

在加工的肉类和疾病之间发现的链接可能部分是因为吃加工肉类的人倾向于做与身体健康无关的其他事情。

Most observational studies on processed meat and health outcomes try to correct for these factors.

Nevertheless, studies consistently find strong links between processed meat consumption and various chronic diseases.

底线：

没有健康意识的人往往会吃更多加工的肉。这可能部分解释研究中发现的一些联想，调查加工肉类消费和疾病。

食用加工肉类与许多慢性病的风险增加有关。

These include:

• High blood pressure (hypertension) (3.那 4. ）。
• 心脏病 （ 2 那 5. ）。
• 慢性阻塞性肺病（COPD）（ 6. 那 7. 那 8. 那 9. ）。
• Bowel and stomach cancer ( 2 那 10. 那 11. 那 12. 那 13. 那 14. ）。

对人类的加工肉类消费的研究全部是观察性的。

他们表明吃了加工肉的人是更倾向于为了得到这些疾病，但他们无法证明加工的肉类causedthem.

Even so, the evidence is convincing because the links are strong and consistent.

Additionally, all of this is supported by studies in animals. For example, studies in rats show that eating processed meat raises the risk of bowel cancer ( 15. ）。

One thing is clear, processed meat contains harmful chemical compounds that may increase the risk of chronic disease. The most widely studied compounds are discussed here below.

底线：

Eating high amounts of processed meat over a long period may increase the risk of many chronic diseases, such as heart disease and cancer.

N-nitroso compounds are cancer-causing substances believed to be responsible for some of the adverse effects of processed meat consumption.

They are formed from亚硝酸盐(sodium nitrite) that is added to processed meat products.

亚硝酸钠用作添加剂3原因：

1. 保留肉的红色/粉红色。
2. To improve flavor by suppressing fat oxidation (rancidification).
3. 防止细菌的生长，改善味道和削减食物中毒的风险。

在其他食物中也发现亚硝酸盐和相关化合物，例如硝酸盐。例如，硝酸盐在一些蔬菜中发现较高的水平，甚至可能有利于健康（ 16. ）。

However, not all nitrite is the same. Nitrite in processed meat can turn into harmful N-nitroso compounds, the most widely studied of which are nitrosamines ( 17. ）。

Processed meat is the main dietary source of nitrosamines ( 18. ）。其他来源包括受污染的饮用水，烟草烟雾和腌制和腌制食品（ 17. 那 19. ）。

当加工的肉制品暴露在高温下（超过266°F或130°C）时，亚硝胺主要形成，例如煎炸培根或烤肠时（ 20. ）。

动物的研究表明，亚硝胺可能在肠癌的形成中发挥重要作用（ 15. 那 21. ）。

这是通过人类的观察性研究支持的，表明亚硝胺可能会增加胃肠和肠癌的风险（ 22. 那 23. ）。

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油炸或烤的加工肉可含有相对高水平的亚硝胺。研究表明，这些化合物可能会增加胃肠和肠道癌症的风险。

肉类吸烟是最古老的保存方法之一，通常与盐渍或干燥结合使用。

It leads to the formation of various potentially harmful substances. These include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (24.）。

PAHs are a large class of substances that form when organic matter burns.

它们被转移到空气中，烟雾积聚在烟熏肉类产品和肉的表面上，烧烤，烤或烤在开阔的火灾（ 25. 那 26. ）。

它们可以由：

• 燃烧木材或木炭。
• 在热表面上燃烧的脂肪滴。
• 烧焦或烧焦。

出于这个原因，烟熏肉类产品可以在PAHS（27.那 25. ）。

据信，PAHS可能有助于加工肉的一些不利健康影响。

Numerous studies in animals have shown that some PAHs can cause cancer (24.那 28. ）。

底线：

Smoked meat products may contain high amounts of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These compounds have been shown to cause cancer in animals.

杂环胺（HCA）是一类形式的化合物meator鱼在高温下煮熟，例如在煎炸或烧烤期间（ 29. 那 30. ）。

They are not restricted to processed meat, but significant amounts can be found in sausages, fried bacon and meat burgers ( 31. ）。

HCAs导致癌症大量给予动物。一般来说，这些量远高于人类饮食中的那些（ 32. ）。

Nevertheless, numerous observational studies in humans indicate that eating well-done meat may increase the risk of cancer in the colon, breast and prostate ( 33. 那 34. 那 35 ）。

The level of HCAs can be minimized by using gentle cooking methods, such as frying under low heat and steaming. Avoid eating charred, blackened meat.

底线：

一些加工的肉类产品可含有杂环胺（HCA），致癌化合物也在良好的肉和鱼中发现。

Processed meat products are usually high in钠氯化物，也称为表盐。

几千年来,盐被添加到food products as a preservative. However, it is most often used to improve taste.

Although processed meat is far from being the only food that is high in salt, it may contribute significantly to the salt intake of many people.

过量的盐消耗可能在高血压和心脏病中发挥作用，特别是在那些有盐敏感性高血压的人中（ 36. 那 37. 那 38. 那 39. 那 40 ）。

此外，一些观察研究表明，盐高的饮食可能会增加胃癌的风险（ 41. 那 42. 那 43. 那 44. 那 45. ）。

This is supported by studies showing that a high-salt diet may increase the growth ofHelicobacter pylori那a bacterium that causes stomach ulcers, which are an important risk factor for stomach cancer ( 46. 那 47. ）。

将一些盐添加到全部食物中以提高风味是好的，但从加工食品中吃大量的含量可能很好地造成伤害。

底线：

加工的肉类产品含有大量的盐，可能有助于一些健康问题。

Processed meat contains various chemical compounds that are not present in fresh meat. Many of these compounds are harmful to health.

For this reason, eating a lot of processed meat products for a long period (years or decades) may increase the risk of chronic disease, especially cancer.

However, eating them occasionally is fine. Just make sure not to let them dominate your diet and avoid eating them every day.

At the end of the day, you should limit your intake of processed foods and base your diet on fresh whole foods.