Sodium Chloride
Processed meat products are geneally rich in sodium chloride, also known as table salt.
For thousands of years, salt has been used to foods as a preservative. However, it is most often used in improving taste.
Although processed meat is far from the only food that is high in salt, it might contribute significantly to salt consumption of many people.
Excessive intake of salt can play a role in hypertension and heart disease, especially in those who have an illness known as salt-sensitive hypertension.
In addition, various observational studies show that high-salt diets may increase the risk of stomach cancer.
This hypothesis is supported by studies showing that a high-salt diet may increase the growth of Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium that causes stomach ulcers, which are a major risk factor for stomach cancer.
Adding a little salt to whole foods to improve the taste is good, but eating massive amounts of processed food can very well cause damage.
Conclusion: Processed meat products contain large amounts of salt, which can cause health issues.
Take Home Message
Processed meats contains several chemicals that are not naturally present in fresh meat. Some of these compounds are harmful to health.
Therefore, eating too many processed meat products over a long period can increase the risk of chronic diseases, particularly cancer.
However, eating them is sometimes good. Just be sure not to let your diet be dominated by it and avoid eating them everyday.
At the end of the day, you should limit your intake of processed foods and the basis of your diet on whole fresh foods.
