Bacon lovers beware of chest pains
Bacon lovers who eat it more than 14 times a month are twice as likely to suffer bad chest conditions normally linked with smoking, according to a research study conducted at the Columbia University Medical Centre in New York.
The blame was placed on nitrate chemicals used to cure meat including bacon, salami, chorizo, luncheon meat, and some hams and types of sausage.
Lead researcher Dr Rui Jiang said that cured meats were high in nitrates which were added to meat products as a preservative, an anti-microbial agent, and a colour fixative.
Dr Jiang said that “nitrates may cause damage to the lungs, producing structural changes resembling emphysema”. The other deteriorating chest conditions that could result include bronchitis and chronic obstructive airways disease.
In Australia chronic pulmonary disease is a major cause of death after cancer and heart disease.
