Processed meat

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Various types of processed meat for sale at a grocery store SelectionOfProcessedMeats.jpg
Various types of processed meat for sale at a grocery store

Processed meat is considered to be any meat that has been modified in order to either improve its taste or to extend its shelf life. Methods of meat processing include salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, and/or the addition of chemical preservatives. [1] Processed meat is usually composed of pork or beef or, less frequently, poultry. It can also contain offal or meat by-products such as blood. Processed meat products include bacon, ham, sausages, salami, corned beef, jerky, hot dogs, lunch meat, canned meat, chicken nuggets, and meat-based sauces. [2] [3] [4] Meat processing includes all the processes that change fresh meat with the exception of simple mechanical processes such as cutting, grinding or mixing. [5]

Contents

Meat processing began as soon as people realized that cooking and salting prolongs the life of fresh meat. It is not known when this took place; however, the process of salting and sun-drying was recorded in Ancient Egypt, while using ice and snow is credited to early Romans, and canning was developed by Nicolas Appert who in 1810 received a prize for his invention from the French government. [5] Medical health organizations advise people to limit processed meat consumption as it increases risk of some forms of cancer, [6] [7] [8] [9] cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer's disease.

Definition

The American Institute for Cancer Research and World Cancer Research Fund define processed meat as "meat preserved by smoking, curing or salting, or addition of chemical preservatives". [10]

The Encyclopedia of Meat Sciences defined processed meat as "any meat preserved by smoking, curing, or salting, or with the addition of chemical preservatives; examples include bacon, salami, sausages, hot dogs or processed deli, or luncheon meats". [11]

Preservatives

Nitrosyl-heme Nitrosyl-Heme.png
Nitrosyl-heme

Nitrate and sodium nitrite found in processed meats can be converted by the human body into nitrosamines that can be carcinogenic, causing mutation in the colorectal cell line, thereby causing tumorigenesis and eventually leading to cancer. [12] Processed meat is more carcinogenic compared to unprocessed red meat because of the abundance of potent nitrosyl-heme molecules that form N-nitroso compounds. [13]

A principal concern about sodium nitrite is Nitrosation/nitrosylation, the formation of carcinogenic nitroso-compounds in meats containing sodium nitrite or potassium nitrate, [14] especially nitrosyl-haem (nitrosyl heme). [15] In addition to nitrosyl-haem, carcinogenic nitrosamines can be formed from the reaction of nitrite with secondary amines under acidic conditions (such as occurs in the human stomach) as well as during the curing process used to preserve meats.[ citation needed ]

Nitrate and nitrite are consumed from plant foods as well as animal foods, with 80% of a typical person's nitrate consumption coming from vegetables, especially leafy and root vegetables such as spinach and beets. [16] Some nitrate is converted to nitrite in the human body. [16] Nitrate and nitrite are classified as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and are not directly carcinogenic. Yet, when nitrate or nitrite interact with certain components in meat, such as heme iron, amines, and amides, they can form nitroso compounds, which may contribute to the association between consumption of processed meats and higher incidence of colorectal cancer. [17]

Health effects

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) at the World Health Organization (WHO) classifies processed meat as Group 1 (carcinogenic to humans), because the IARC has found sufficient evidence that consumption of processed meat by humans causes colorectal cancer. [8] [18] [19]

A 2016 report by the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund found that processed meat consumption also increases the risk of stomach cancer. [7]

In 2020, the American Cancer Society stated that "it is not known if there is a safe level of consumption for either red or processed meats. In the absence of such knowledge, while recognizing that the amount of increased risk isn't certain, the ACS recommends choosing protein foods such as fish, poultry, and beans more often than red meat, and for people who eat processed meat products to do so sparingly, if at all." [6]

Reviews of epidemiological studies have also found that processed meat consumption is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, [20] gastric cancer, [21] oral cancer, [22] stroke, [23] and type-2 diabetes. [24] A 2023 review found that processed red meat consumption increases risk of Alzheimer's disease. [25] [26]

References

  1. ↑ Monica Reinagel (2 Aug 2016). "What's the Definition of Processed Meat?". Scientific American. Retrieved 27 Jan 2022.
  2. ↑ "What is processed meat?". BBC News. 2015. Archived from the original on April 27, 2024.
  3. ↑ "What You Should Know About Processed Meat". WebMD. 2023.
  4. ↑ "Processed meat and cancer: What you need to know" (PDF). World Cancer Research Fund. 2023.
  5. 1 2 Pearson, A. M.; Tauber, F. W. (2012-12-06). Processed Meats. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN   9789401096928.Introduction
  6. 1 2 Rock, Cheryl L.; Thomson, Cynthia; Gansler, Ted; Gapstur, Susan M.; McCullough, Marjorie L.; Patel, Alpa V.; Andrews, Kimberly S.; Bandera, Elisa V.; Spees, Colleen K.; Robien, Kimberly; Hartman, Sheri; Sullivan, Kristen; Grant, Barbara L.; Hamilton, Kathryn K.; Kushi, Lawrence H.; Caan, Bette J.; Kibbe, Debra; Black, Jessica Donze; Wiedt, Tracy L.; McMahon, Catherine; Sloan, Kirsten; Doyle, Colleen (2020). "American Cancer Society guideline for diet and physical activity for cancer prevention". CA. 70 (4): 245–271. doi: 10.3322/caac.21591 . PMID   32515498. S2CID   219550658.
  7. 1 2 "Diet, nutrition, physical activity and stomach cancer" (PDF). American Institute for Cancer Research and World Cancer Research Fund. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-10-10. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Cancer: Carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat". IARC. 26 October 2015. Retrieved 19 Sep 2022.
  9. ↑ "Does eating processed and red meat cause cancer?". cancerresearchuk.org. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  10. ↑ "What is Processed Meat, Anyway?". American Institute for Cancer Research. 2012. Archived from the original on January 17, 2025.
  11. ↑ Aiyegoro, O. A. (2014). "Microbial Contamination of Processed Meat". Encyclopedia of Meat Sciences. Academic Press. pp. 289–293. ISBN   978-0-12-384734-8.
  12. ↑ Santarelli RL, Pierre F, Corpet DE (2008). "Processed meat and colorectal cancer: a review of epidemiologic and experimental evidence". Nutrition and Cancer. 60 (2): 131–44. doi:10.1080/01635580701684872. PMC   2661797 . PMID   18444144.
  13. ↑ Jeyakumar A, Dissabandara L, Gopalan V (April 2017). "A critical overview on the biological and molecular features of red and processed meat in colorectal carcinogenesis". Journal of Gastroenterology. 52 (4): 407–418. doi:10.1007/s00535-016-1294-x. PMID   27913919. S2CID   20865644.
  14. ↑ Lijinsky, William (July 1999). "N-Nitroso compounds in the diet". Mutation Research/Genetic Toxicology and Environmental Mutagenesis. 443 (1–2): 129–138. Bibcode:1999MRGTE.443..129L. doi:10.1016/s1383-5742(99)00015-0. PMID   10415436.
  15. ↑ Kuhnle, G.G.C.; Bingham, S.A. (1 November 2007). "Dietary meat, endogenous nitrosation and colorectal cancer". Biochemical Society Transactions. 35 (5): 1355–1357. doi:10.1042/BST0351355. PMID   17956350.
  16. 1 2 "Public Health Statement for NITRATE and NITRITE". Archived from the original on 18 December 2020.
  17. ↑ Santarelli, R. L.; Pierre, F.; Corpet, D. E. (2008). "Processed meat and colorectal cancer: A review of epidemiologic and experimental evidence". Nutrition and Cancer. 60 (2): 131–144. doi:10.1080/01635580701684872. PMC   2661797 . PMID   18444144.
  18. ↑ "IARC Monographs evaluate consumption of red meat and processed meat" (PDF). IARC. 26 October 2015. Retrieved 19 Sep 2022.
  19. ↑ Chan, D. S.; Lau, R.; Aune, D.; Vieira, R.; Greenwood, D. C.; Kampman, E.; Norat, T. (6 Jun 2011). "Red and processed meat and colorectal cancer incidence: meta-analysis of prospective studies". PLOS ONE. 6 (6). NIH: e20456. Bibcode:2011PLoSO...620456C. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0020456 . PMC   3108955 . PMID   21674008.
  20. ↑ Shi, Wenming; Huang, Xin; Schooling, C Mary; Zhao, Jie V (2023). "Red meat consumption, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis". European Heart Journal. 44 (28): 2626–2635. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehad336 . PMID   37264855.
  21. ↑ Liu SJ, Huang PD, Xu JM, Li Q, Xie JH, Wu WZ, Wang CT, Yang XB (2022). "Diet and gastric cancer risk: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of prospective cohort studies". Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology. 148 (8): 1855–1868. doi:10.1007/s00432-022-04005-1. PMID   35695929. S2CID   249613718.
  22. ↑ Xu H, Gao Z, Liu H, An L, Yang T, Zhang B, Liu G, Sun D. (2025). "Associations of lifestyle factors with oral cancer risk: An umbrella review". J Stomatol Oral Maxillofac Surg. 23: 102234. doi:10.1016/j.jormas.2025.102234. PMID   39862963.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  23. ↑ Guo N, Zhu Y, Tian D, Zhao Y, Zhang C, Mu C, Han C, Zhu R, Liu X (2022). "Role of diet in stroke incidence: an umbrella review of meta-analyses of prospective observational studies". BMC Medicine. 24 (1): 194. doi: 10.1186/s12916-022-02381-6 . PMC   9128224 . PMID   35606791.
  24. ↑ Li C, Bishop TRP, Imamura F, Sharp SJ, Pearce M, Brage S, Ong KK, Ahsan H, Bes-Rastrollo M, Beulens JWJ, den Braver N, Byberg L, Canhada S, Chen Z, Chung HF, Cortés-Valencia A, Djousse L, Drouin-Chartier JP, Du H, Du S, Duncan BB, Gaziano JM, Gordon-Larsen P, Goto A, Haghighatdoost F, Härkänen T, Hashemian M, Hu FB, Ittermann T, Järvinen R, Kakkoura MG, Neelakantan N, Knekt P, Lajous M, Li Y, Magliano DJ, Malekzadeh R, Le Marchand L, Marques-Vidal P, Martinez-Gonzalez MA, Maskarinec G, Mishra GD, Mohammadifard N, O'Donoghue G, O'Gorman D, Popkin B, Poustchi H, Sarrafzadegan N, Sawada N, Schmidt MI, Shaw JE, Soedamah-Muthu S, Stern D, Tong L, van Dam RM, Völzke H, Willett WC, Wolk A, Yu C; EPIC-InterAct Consortium; Forouhi NG, Wareham NJ (2024). "Meat consumption and incident type 2 diabetes: an individual-participant federated meta-analysis of 1·97 million adults with 100 000 incident cases from 31 cohorts in 20 countries". Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 12 (9): 619–630. doi:10.1016/S2213-8587(25)00002-6. PMID   39174161.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  25. ↑ Grant WB, Blake SM. (2023). "Diet's Role in Modifying Risk of Alzheimer's Disease: History and Present Understanding". Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. 96 (4): 1353–1382. doi:10.3233/JAD-230418. PMC   10741367 . PMID   37955087.
  26. ↑ "Diet has a major impact on risk of Alzheimer’s disease". iospress.com. Retrieved 30 January 2024.

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