Are you used to buying ham and sausages? To avoid health problems, it’s in your interest to choose the right products.
And with good reason: according to French researchers, deli meats containing nitrites increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. Find out more!
Nitrites in the firing line
Sliced white ham and deli meats containing nitrites, widely consumed by the French, could be responsible for the onset of type 2 diabetes. This is the finding of researchers from several French institutes, including Inserm.
As a reminder, nitrites are food additives used to preserve ham (and other types of charcuterie) and give it a pinker appearance. What’s more, they act as both preservatives and colorants!
Already blamed for increasing the risk of colorectal cancer, as demonstrated a year ago in a report by the French food safety agency Agence nationale de sécurité alimentaire (Anses), the nitrites present in ham and sausages could also lead to a » potentially increased risk of type 2 diabetes » , as explained by Bernard Srour, postdoctoral researcher at Inserm and co-author of the study.
Nitrites increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 27%!
To reach this conclusion, the researchers analyzed the dietary habits and health data of over 100,000 French adults participating in the NutriNet cohort.
According to the survey results, people who consumed the most nitrites through food (nitrites can also be found in water) had a 27% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than others.
It should be noted that the study took into account confounding biases such as smoking, alcohol and sweetened food, as well as the nitrite content of the water consumed.
Conclusion ? The authors of the study recommend that you trust the labels when buying white ham, sausage or any other type of charcuterie.
It’s also a good idea to limit your consumption of charcuterie!
The French national nutrition and health plan recommends consuming no more than 150g of charcuterie a week, equivalent to 4 slices of white ham.