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Men who
smoke may be increasing their risk of developing emphysema
and chronic bronchitis if they eat lots of cured meat, new
research shows. Cured meats such as sausage, ham, bologna,
bacon and hot dogs contain high levels of nitrites, which
are added to prevent rancidity and bacterial growth and
enhance a meat's pink color. And just like cigarette smoking
and air pollution, nitrites generate molecules known as
reactive oxygen and nitrogen species that have been linked
to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the
researchers noted. The chief risk factor for COPD, which
encompasses chronic bronchitis and emphysema, is cigarette
smoking. Researchers suggest that eating cured meats may
worsen the harmful effects of smoking on risk of COPD. They
looked at data on 42,915 men participating in the Health
Professionals Follow-up Study, 111 of whom were diagnosed
with COPD within 12 years of enrolling in the study. Men who
ate cured meats at least once a day were 2.64 times more
likely than those who almost never ate cured meats to
develop COPD, the researchers found. Cured meat consumption
has also been linked to diabetes and certain types of
cancer, researcher noted.
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