Table of contents:
- Before choosing it, first know the processing process of smoked meat
- Adding large amounts of salt
- Formation of chemical additives
- Impact of eating smoked meat for health
- 1. Stomach infections and cancer
- 2. Hypertension, heart disease and kidney disease
- 3. Cancer
- 4. Stroke and diabetes
Using smoked meat in cooking does look practical. The reason is, this processed food is easy to get and has a delicious taste because of the processing that is smoked. Currently, quite a lot of people prefer to use smoked meat in their diet. But is eating smoked meat healthy? Check out the following reviews.
Before choosing it, first know the processing process of smoked meat
Actually, the process of smoking meat aims to make the meat more durable. So, the meat will be heated on a wood that is burned at low temperature. Meat will only be exposed to burning smoke, not directly exposed to fire.
Well, the smoke from burning wood has the advantage because it contains several chemical components that can kill bacteria and fungi. Therefore, this method of processing food is often used to preserve food.
Even though it lasts longer, unfortunately this processing can change the nutritional content of the meat. The reason is, there are several additions and substances formation from the process, such as:
Adding large amounts of salt
According to Live Strong, before smoking, the meat is cut into pieces or into thin strips and salt first. This gives the meat a salty and savory taste, and helps speed up the ripening.
Formation of chemical additives
When meat is exposed to heat from burning wood or charcoal, PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) such as benzopyran and heterocyclic amines appear. Both substances are poisonous and easy to absorb in food.
Impact of eating smoked meat for health
Actually, eating smoked meat does not directly cause several diseases. This depends on how often you consume it. So, a wise step you can take is to limit your consumption of smoked meat. This is done to prevent you from several risks of disease, such as:
1. Stomach infections and cancer
Eating smoked meat increases the risk of stomach infections because they are contaminated with bacteria E. coli and Listeria monocytogenes. Bacterial infection E. coli makes you feel stomach pain accompanied by diarrhea. Temporary bacterial infection L. monocytogenes causes listeriosis, which is a condition called fever, headache, and abdominal pain.
Reporting from the Healthy Eating SF Gate, the American Cancer Society reveals that eating lots of smoked meat or salted fish increases the risk of stomach cancer.
2. Hypertension, heart disease and kidney disease
Smoked meat has a high salt content so it can make sodium levels in the blood spike. Sodium is a mineral and electrolyte that is important for fluid balance in the body.
However, if the levels in the blood are too high it can cause dehydration, hypertension, kidney disease, and heart disease. People who have this condition should avoid consuming smoked meat.
3. Cancer
Substances produced from the processing of smoked meat are carcinogens, which can trigger cancer. Several cancers that have been proven to be caused by this substance are pancreatic cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and breast cancer.
Research revealed that women who ate smoked meat more than once a week increased their risk of breast cancer by 47% compared to women who ate smoked meat once a week.
4. Stroke and diabetes
A study conducted by experts from the Harvard School of Public Health showed that consuming excessive amounts of smoked or processed meat can increase the risk of stroke and type 2 diabetes.
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