Consumption of processed meat and sausages increases the COPD risk

Millions of people worldwide suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In most cases, the disease, which is popularly called smoker’s cough is also caused by tobacco consumption. However, the consumption of processed red meat can researcher of the COPD-risk increase, reports.

Up to five million Federal citizens suffer from COPD

According to the German respiratory League of the three to five million people in Germany alone, COPD (“chronic obstructive pulmonary disease”). According to health experts, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which is also popularly known as smoker’s cough or smoker’s lung is known to cause, worldwide, the third leading cause of death. Even non-smokers are partially affected, but 90 percent of all cases in this country is the main cause for the disease is quite clear: Smoking. There are, however, more risk factors; one of them is the consumption of processed red meat, according to a study.

Health risk from consumption of meat

In the past few years has been shown in many studies that the consumption of red meat to an increased risk to health.

Even the life expectancy drops significantly, as Swedish scientists reported.

Dangerous especially, the consumption of processed meat. This increases the risk of cancer.

And it increases the risk of developing COPD, such as researchers from Iran have found out.

Connection between meat consumption and COPD risk

Scientists from the Tehran University of Medical Sciences have performed a meta-analysis to examine the relationship between the consumption of processed red meat and the COPD risk.

As the researchers in the journal “Clinical Nutrition” reports that were five cohort studies.

A total of 289.952 participants, including 8.338 subjects with COPD were included in the meta-analysis. These studies came from Sweden and the USA.

The researchers found that the increase in the weekly consumption of red and processed meat by 50 grams, the COPD risk by eight percent increases.

According to the study authors, the relationship between the consumption of processed red meat and the COPD is assigned risk.

May meat Smoking lovers more

If the COPD risk, but actually by a couple of slices of sausage less per week to reduce, remains questionable.

Because in the analyzed cohort studies are observational studies in which no causal relationship has been demonstrated.

So, it remains unclear, whether really the meat and sausage consumption for the increased risk of disease is responsible.

Maybe it’s just that people who eat a lot of sausage and meat, more likely to smoke than people who eat fleischarm or vegetarian. (ad)