Experts warn
that over time, eating a lot of cured and processed meat such as kilisi and
suya is linked to worsening asthma symptoms.
Do
you love to gorge processed meat like suya, kilisi, ham or sausage? Beware, a
new study has suggested that higher intake of such processed meats can worsen
asthma symptoms.
Experts found that in
individuals who consume four or more weekly servings of cured and processed
meat were 76 per cent more likely to experience worsening asthma symptoms. This
could include difficulty in breathing, chest tightness and shortness of breath.
Processed meat refers to
meat that has been preserved by smoking, curing, salting or adding
preservatives, thereby producing compounds called nitrites. Examples include
ham, bacon, hot dogs and some sausages. Hamburgers and minced meats only count
as processed meat if they have been preserved with salt or chemical additives.
What’s so bad about
‘processed food’?
President, Nigerian
Thoracic Society, Professor Etete Peters, said cured and processed meat has
been found to be general unhealthy for consumption because of the method of
their processing.
“They contain a lot of
additives and chemicals that could be injurious to health, not only for
asthmatics. These meats have been linked to a higher risk of other chronic
diseases, including cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In fact, the World Health Organisation
(WHO) recently classified them as carcinogenic, or cancer-causing,” said
Professor Peters.
Professor Peters
mentioned commonly consumed processed meat as suya, kilisi and others are also
deleterious to health because of the method of their processing.
“It passes though a lot
of raw processing, smoke and additives and in some cases you have some spices
added to it. People can react to it. It is not as if every asthmatic that takes
it will react to it, but there is a tendency for some people to react because
of the method of preparation, the smoke, oil or other additives used in
preparing it.”
Peters, also the Chief
Medical Director of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, raised the
possibility of exposure to contaminants from the air and dust when suya is
openly displayed for sale by the road side as well as cockroach droppings from
the paper used to wrap suya or kilisi also aggravating asthma attack.
“This is why we advise
that people consume fresh products, rather than processed ones that could have
been stored poorly or for a long period of time,” he declared.
Dr Olanisun Adewole, a
consultant chest physician, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals
Complex, Ile-Ife, Osun State explained that exposure to smoke in the process of
preparing suya as well as additives to it can worsen asthmatic symptoms.
“Some additives of
processed meat, especially when highly salted or spiced, work on the bronchial wall,
cause water retention in some asthmatics and thus precipitate asthma symptoms
such as difficulty in breathing, chest tightness and shortness of breath.
“It is just the same
thing that happens when some people eat foods like egg and peanuts. But the group
of people that are liable to such reactions are not as many as that from
peanuts or eggs. So, there are some individual variability in asthma attacks,”
Adewole stated.
Basically, he declared
that asthmatics are usually urged to know their asthma triggers, including food
items, and to avoid them. They are also advised to avoid common asthma triggers
like fume, smoke and environment with high level of humidity.
To find out if dietary
processed meat intake was associated with the worsening of asthma symptoms over
time, the researchers drew the data from participants in the French
Epidemiological study on the Genetics and Environment of Asthma (EGEA).
This has been tracking
the health through surveys and medical examination of more than 2000 asthma
patients, their close relatives, and a comparison group from five cities in
France for more than 20 years.
The researchers focused
on 971 people for whom complete dietary, weight, asthma symptom scores and
demographic data were obtained until 2011 and 2013. Diet was measured using
food frequency questionnaires.
Information was also
gathered on other potentially influential factors, such as smoking, regular
physical activity, age, sex, and educational attainment.
After taking into
account smoking, regular physical activity, age, sex and education, the
researchers calculated that people who ate the most cured meats were 76 per
cent more likely to have worsening asthma symptoms, compared with those who ate
the least.
Are sausages bad for
you?
Among those who ate one
or less servings of processed or cured meat, 14 per cent reported worse asthma
symptoms. Among those eating one to four servings a week, 20 per cent said
their asthma symptoms had worsened.
The findings published
online on December 20 in the journal Thorax also showed that in the group
eating four or more weekly servings, 22 per cent reported worsening asthma.
Also, being overweight
or obese that has been linked to worsening asthma, accounted for only 14 per
cent of this association, suggesting that processed meat may have an
independent role in asthma symptoms.
The WHO says that asthma
affects 235 million people worldwide. Its common triggers include: indoor
allergens, such as dust mites and pet dander; outdoor allergens, such as
pollen; tobacco smoke; and chemical irritants in the workplace.
Nonetheless, the study’s
lead researcher, Dr. Zhen Li cautioned that this study cannot prove that eating
cured meats makes asthma worse, only that an association exists.
Still, “public health
strategies are warranted to reduce cured and processed meat intake,” Li said.
All things being equal,
the British Heart Foundation said red meat could still be eaten as part of a
balanced diet. Leaner cuts and the use of healthier cooking methods such as
grilling are better.
Source:
http://tribuneonlineng.com/
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