Sausage eating increases the risk of death

If you eat a lot of ham and sausage every day, you're more likely to die

09.03.2013

Daily meat consumption is part of everyday life in most households in Germany. But anyone who eats sausage and ham every day is more likely to die than a meat lover. Swiss scientists from the University of Zurich came to this conclusion. According to their findings, the risk of dying per 50 grams of cured meats rises by a whopping 18 percent.

From 50 grams, the risk of death increases rapidly
Those who eat too much meat sausage products will most likely die faster than others who eat less or no sausage or ham. "Already a lot of 40 grams of sausage or ham daily harms the health", the researchers write in the journal "BMC Medicine" (BMC Medicine, 2013; doi: 10.1186 / 1741-7015-11-63) .from 50 grams of sausage and Sausages increase the early death risk already by 18 percent. "This is the result of our study, which is the largest in Europe so far on this topic".

The study director Sabine Rohrmann emphasizes that approximately "three percent of all premature deaths are estimated to be due to the high consumption of meat products". Together with researchers from 10 European countries, they evaluated the data of approximately 450,000 subjects between the ages of 35 and 69 in the study. The main focus was on the context of meat consumption and premature dying. The evaluated data could provide accurate "information about the dietary habits of the subjects and many other parameters of their lifestyle". During the observation period of about 13 years, exactly 26,344 people died from the study participants.

High cancer and cardiovascular risk
During the data analysis, the scientists realized that the diet style, among other factors, has a major impact on early dying. Comparing dietary habits with deaths and their causes has shown that conspicuously many people who eat processed meats such as sausages, salami or ham are at an increased risk of dying from dangerous diseases of the cardiovascular system such as heart attack or cancer.

Not the meat as such triggers the increased mortality rate. According to the results of the investigation, the connection can be found in unhealthy meat processing. Sausages such as salami are seasoned with numerous salts, pickles and smoked pork. As a result, harmful substances such as nitrosamines are developing for health. In the opinion of the scientists, these can be the cause of an increased cancer rate in sausage cutters. In addition, processed meats include saturated fats, which in turn can be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Wurstesser often maintain an unhealthy lifestyle
However, not only the consumption of sausage mountains is the problem. As another cause, the researchers made another context. Subjects who ate a lot of sausage also had a tendency to unhealthy life. "Generally, people tend to have an unhealthy lifestyle if they eat a lot of processed meat products". They move less, eat significantly less fruit and vegetables, smoke more often and drink more alcoholic beverages. But even if these factors were excluded from the assessment, the study's main finding remained: "People who eat more than 40 grams of sausage a day are at an increased risk of developing cancer or cardiovascular disease".

In principle, the meat consumption is not harmful, stressed the researchers. It depends more on the amount that is regularly consumed. "Moderate consumption up to an average of 40 grams per day does not result in an increased risk of dying," sums up the study director. In addition, meat can help to absorb important nutrients such as vitamin B or iron. The right to devour Wurstberge every day harms the environment and one's own health. (Sb)

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