Source: Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE, 12/21/16


The North American Meat Institute (NAMI) was quick Wednesday to debunk a small French study that claimed a link between cured meats and asthma.

The study, published in the journal Thorax, concluded that higher cured meat consumption was associated with worsening asthma symptoms over time. Researchers based it on a French Epidemiological study on the Genetics and Environment of Asthma (EGEA) that included 971 participants and found that 20 percent of them reported worsening asthma symptoms with cured meat intake.

NAMI noted the tenuous nature of drawing conclusions based on studies relying on people recalling in the past what they ate and how it made them feel, and that the researchers suggesting that nitrite used to cure meats may be the cause is “reckless.”

“Studies that rely on what people recall eating are notoriously inaccurate, as the researchers themselves say when they write, 'We acknowledge that recall bias could exist as data from questionnaires were used,’” NAMI President and CEO Barry Carpenter said in a statement provided to Meatingplace. “Importantly, the researchers also note, 'Because people consume complex meals rather than isolated food/nutrients that might interact with each other, the association between cured meat intake itself and the asthma symptom score is difficult to assess and may be partly due to the confounding by other food groups.’  In other words, people eat diets consisting of many foods — not single foods in isolation."

NAMI said the study’s nitrite claim contradicts clinical medical knowledge. Nitrite is a vasodilator and a bronchodilator that helps with asthma, pulmonary hypertension, cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the organization noted.
“These researchers likely are well intentioned, but their purported findings come down to this: some people who enjoy cured meats also get asthma,” Carpenter said.  “... There is plenty of good science to show that favorites such as salami and sausage can be enjoyed as part of a healthy, balanced diet and that nitrite is not only safe, clinical studies (not studies relying on what people think they ate in the past) show it has many health benefits."  

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