Processed Meat, Like Bacon and Sausage, Linked to Higher Risk of Heart Failure in Men

You may want to lay off the red meat for the sake of your heart. Scientists have found that men who eat moderate amounts of processed red meat may have an increased risk of incidence of death from heart failure.

Processed red meat is preserved by smoking, curing, salting, or adding preservatives. This can include cold cuts, sausage, bacon and hot dogs. With these added ingredients, the researchers wanted to see the effects of processed red meat in comparison to unprocessed red meat.

"Processed red meat commonly contains sodium, nitrates, phosphates and other food additives, and smoked and grilled meats also contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, all of which may contribute to the increased heart failure risk," said Alicja Wolk, one of the researchers, in a news release. "Unprocessed meat is free from food additives and usually has a lower amount of sodium."

In this case, the researchers examined the effects of processed red meat separately from unprocessed red meat. They looked at 37,035 men between the ages of 45 to 79 with no history of heart failure, ischemic heart disease or cancer. The men completed a questionnaire on food intake and were followed from 1988 to the date of heart failure diagnoses or death.

So what did they find? It turns out that men who ate 75 grams or more processed red meat per day had a 28 percent higher risk of heart failure compared to men who ate 25 grams or less per day. In addition, men who add the most processed red meat had more than a two-fold increased risk of death from heart failure compared to men in the lowest category. And for every 50 grams of processed red meat, which is equivalent to about one to two slices of ham, consumed each day, the risk of heart failure incidence increased by 8 percent.

"To reduce your risk of heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases, we suggest avoiding processed red meat in your diet, and limiting the amount of unprocessed red meat to one to two servings per week or less," said Joanna Kaluza, one of the researchers, in a news release. "Instead, eat a diet rich in fruit, vegetables, whole grain products, nuts and increase your servings of fish."

The findings are published in the journal Circulation: Heart Failure.