.<\/strong>\n <\/p>\n\n \u201cHabitual consumption of even small amounts of processed meat, sugary drinks, and trans fatty acids is linked to increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, ischemic heart disease and colorectal cancer,\u201d said lead author of the study, Dr. Demewoz Haile, a research scientist at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in Seattle.\n <\/p>\n
\n The data showed that people who ate as little as one hot dog a day when it comes to processed meats had an 11% greater risk of type 2 diabetes and a 7% increased risk of colorectal cancer than those who didn\u2019t eat any. And drinking the equivalent of about a 12-ounce soda per day was associated with an 8% increase in type 2 diabetes risk and a 2% increased risk of ischemic heart disease.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cThis current research has shown, yet again and consistent with prior research \u2026 that to achieve health gains it is best to avoid or minimize the habitual consumption of each of processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and industrially produced trans fatty acids (TFAs),\u201d said Dr. Nita Forouhi, head of nutritional epidemiology at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. She was not involved in the research.\n <\/p>\n
\n The risk increased as consumption increased; and for processed meat consumption, the data showed that there is no \u201csafe amount,\u201d she added in an email.\n <\/p>\n
\n At first glance, the increase in risk seems modest and might look like the association is weak, said Dr. Mingyang Song, associate professor of clinical epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan Schoo of Public Healthl. He was not involved in the research.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cWhen we look at the actual data there, it\u2019s really remarkably consistent and remarkably strong, and even in the lower dose of consumption, we can still see an increased risk of disease,\u201d he said.\n <\/p>\n
\n The researchers examined dozens of earlier findings on diet and disease using a burden-of-proof method: a newer form of meta-analysis that not only tries to quantify an association across multiple studies but also accounts for the quality of each, Song said. \u201cOne caveat is it tends to give very conservative results,\u201d he added.\n <\/p>\n
\n It\u2019s also important to note that the studies included in the analysis were observational, meaning that the data can only show an association between eating habits and disease \u2013\u2013 not prove that what people ate caused the disease. They also relied on people recalling their dietary patterns, which can leave room for misremembering or misreporting, said Dr. Gunter Kuhnle, professor of nutrition and food science at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom. He was not involved in the study.\n <\/p>\n
\n Utilizing even \u201cthe most sophisticated techniques does not really solve the problem that the information about diet is rather limited \u2013 which is obviously a big problem in nutritional epidemiology in general,\u201d he said.\n <\/p>\n
Why meats, drinks and fats are linked to disease<\/p>\n
\n There are many reasons why such foods could be associated with health problems. Sugar-sweetened beverages and processed meat \u2013\u2013 such as sausages, bacon, salami and burgers \u2013\u2013 can increase inflammation, which plays a big part in a variety of chronic diseases, Song said.\n <\/p>\n
\n Processed meats are also often cured with nitrite, which is converted to carcinogenic nitrosamines in the stomach, Kuhnle said.\n <\/p>\n
\n The problem with sugary drinks is that they are a quick way to consume large amounts of sugar, he added. Not only can that cause weight gain, but it also influences metabolic pathways that affect heart disease and diabetes risk, Kuhnle said.\n <\/p>\n
\n Trans fatty acids reduce levels of good cholesterol and increase the bad, which is known to increase the risk of plaque buildup in arteries and heart disease, he added.\n <\/p>\n
\n Other potential connections to consider are that people who are more likely to eat processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages and trans-fats are often also at a higher risk of diseases because of \u201clifestyle factors (smoking, lack of exercise), but also social factors such as education and income, chronic stress and limited access to health care,\u201d Kuhnle said. \u201cIt is very difficult to take these apart.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
What to avoid and what to add<\/p>\n
\n Although the data can\u2019t say reducing your consumption of these foods and drinks will cause a lower risk of the diseases, it does suggest that a reduction is a good idea, Song said.\n <\/p>\n
\n A sensible approach is to follow a varied and balanced diet that avoids excess, Kuhnle said.\n <\/p>\n
\n That means people who drink a lot of sugary drinks should cut back, he said. It can also be helpful to avoid excess amounts of processed meats and avoid hydrogenated fats where possible \u2013\u2013 although they are no longer as common as they used to be, he said.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cThe goal shouldn\u2019t be perfection but rather a healthy and sensible dietary pattern that allows room for enjoyment,\u201d Kuhnle said.\n <\/p>\n
\n A good diet isn\u2019t just about what to avoid. It\u2019s also important to get good nutrients, Forouhi said. \u201cWider research has shown us that overall dietary patterns that include higher consumption of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and fermented dairy products like yogurt are good for health and longevity,\u201d she said.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cMy general advice: don\u2019t panic,\u201d Kuhnle said in an email. \u201cFood is not just (a) <\/strong>source of nutrients \u2013\u2013 it plays a central role in culture, pleasure, family life, and social connection. Reducing it solely to a list of health risks misses the bigger picture.\u201d\n <\/p>\n\n Sign up for CNN\u2019s Eat, But Better: Mediterranean Style<\/a>. Our eight-part guide shows you a delicious expert-backed eating lifestyle that will boost your health for life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Food & health Chronic diseases Heart disease LGBTQ issues See all topics Facebook Tweet Email Link There is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":233119,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4318],"tags":[105,4434,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-233118","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-nutrition","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114786014809022899","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=233118"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233118\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/233119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=233118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=233118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=233118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}