A French study suggests eating four or more portions of processed (cured) meats a week may worsen symptoms like wheezing – but this does not amount to an asthma attack.
An asthma attack is a debilitating and sudden loss of normal lung function that may require emergency treatment.
The study of just under 1,000 French adults (42% with asthma) found evidence eating sausage, ham or dried sausage four times a week worsened asthma symptoms.
The researchers think compounds called nitrites, which are used to preserve meat, might be the culprits, as they have been linked to inflammation in the airways.
Some of the effect may also be influenced by obesity. It's thought obesity increases inflammation throughout the body, which could also affect the lungs, so the researchers adjusted for this in their analysis.
Independent experts from the UK have questioned whether the study looked at diet in sufficient detail.
It's difficult to prove that one type of food causes symptoms. A person's diet is a complex mix of foods, and food is only one of the factors that can affect people's chances of developing asthma symptoms.
Processed meats have also been linked to bowel cancer. A healthy dietfor people with asthma is likely to be the same as for people without – plenty of fresh food, including vegetables, and low in sugar, saturated fat and salt.
