Cured meat consumption linked to COPD

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Frequent consumption of cured meat may worsen lung function and increase the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), new research shows. Further studies, however, are needed to determine if the cured meat is the actual cause of these disorders.

The nitrites in cured meats have been shown to generate reactive forms of nitrogen, note Dr. R. Graham Barr, from Columbia University Medical Center in New York, and colleagues, in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Animal research has suggested that these types of nitrogen can contribute to emphysema, but no studies have investigated the association in humans.

To investigate, the researchers analyzed data from 7,352 subjects enrolled in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to assess the impact of diet on lung function.

The researchers' analysis showed that cured meat consumption was inversely linked to measures of lung function - forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and the ratio of FEV1 to forced expiratory vital capacity (FVC), but not to FVC alone, according to the report.

Subjects who consumed cured meat at least 14 times per month were 78-percent more likely to develop COPD than those who never consumed it, a statistically significant difference. The corresponding increased risk of mild, moderate, and severe COPD were 11 percent, 46 percent, and 141 percent.

High dietary levels of nitrites as a new risk factor for COPD warrant further evaluation in clinical trials, the authors state.

SOURCE: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, April 2007.