Eating processed meat ‘linked to worsening asthma symptoms’

Eating more cured and processed meats, such as ham and salami, may result in worsening asthma symptoms, according to new research.

Drawing on data from the French Epidemiological study on the Genetics and Environment of Asthma, the research looked at information from 971 adults for whom complete dietary, body mass index (BMI), asthma symptom score and demographic data was obtained between 2011 and 2013.

For those who ate one or fewer weekly servings of processed meat, the proportion of those with worsening asthma symptoms was 14 percent. This rose to 20 percent for those eating one to four portions and 22 percent among those eating four or more portions.

Overall, it was calculated that those who ate the most cured meats were 76 percent more likely to experience worsening asthma symptoms than those who ate the least, with excess weight or obesity accounting for only 14 percent of this association.

The research concluded: "This research extends the deleterious effect of cured meat on health, and the effect of diet on asthma in adults, and provides a novel analytic approach regarding the role of BMI in the diet-asthma association."

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