We all agree that processed foods are delicious. Their taste and the fact that they are easy to prepare make most people like them. As the name suggests, processed foods are made with several processes, including adding flavors such as salt, sugar, oil, fat, and various additives.

Unfortunately, many studies have found that processed foods can have a negative effect on body health. Processed foods are known to be linked to health problems such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even death. But what if you eat meat, poultry, or fresh fish? Can they also increase the risks of cardiovascular disease and death?

The results of a recent study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that these foods, except fish, can also increase the risks of cardiovascular disease and death. The researchers explained that consuming two servings of meat every week can increase the risks of cardiovascular disease and death by up to 3%, and it may increase to 7% if the meat were processed. Consumption of poultry can also increase the risks by 4%. While for fish, no relationship was found between the risks and fish consumption.

These results were obtained after analysing the results of previous studies, which involved 29,682 adult participants in total. It was found that each participant had no prior history of cardiovascular disease. The researchers recorded the diet of each participant and monitored them clinically for 30 years. During the follow-up period, it was known that there were 6,963 cases of cardiovascular disease and 8,875 deaths.

Text by Anggie Triana
Stock photos from Pinterest

Source(s):

• Zhong, V.W., Horn, L.V., Greenland, P., et al (2020). Associations of Processed Meat, Unprocessed Red Meat, Poultry, or Fish Intake With Incident Cardiovascular Disease and All-Cause Mortality. JAMA Internal Medicine, DOI: 10.1001 / jamainternmed.2019.6969.
• Medical News Today - How meat, poultry, and fish affect cardiovascular, death risk (2020). https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/meat-poultry-cardiovascular, 10 February 2020.