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Life Guide U.S. essentials
English

Eat less processed meat (ham, bacon, sausage, luncheon meat)

  • High value
  • Evidence A
  • Buys life
  • Disputed
  • Free
  • Takes minutes
  • Some willpower

In plain words

People who eat the most ham, bacon and sausage have about a 20% higher chance of dying over the same period than people who eat the least. Each extra serving of processed meat a day also raises the chance by about 20%.

Cost

Free, even saves money, and takes no time. The hard part is eating less of the thing you like.

What you get

Pooling several follow-up studies (observational, not assigning groups): the group that ate the most processed meat had about 23% higher risk of death than the group that ate the least (RR 1.23). Red meat overall was about 29% higher (RR 1.29). Unprocessed red meat was about 10% higher (RR 1.10), but no statistically significant difference was seen for this one. Another pooled analysis was by amount eaten per day. Each extra 1 serving of processed meat a day raised the risk of death by about 23% (RR 1.23). Each extra 1 serving of red meat a day raised it by about 10% (RR 1.10).

Notes

Disputed. The NutriRECS guideline used a standard way of grading evidence (GRADE) and rated these studies as “not very reliable.” It gave only a very weak recommendation: carry on eating as you do now. The two sides are arguing about whether the evidence is strong enough, not about the direction. No study says processed meat has benefits. Unprocessed red meat has a small effect, with no statistically significant difference. What to cut back on is processed meat.

Evidence grade
A : Specific numbers from meta-analyses, large cohorts or randomized trials; for law and policy, the statute or official text.
Sources
  1. Larsson SC, Orsini N (2014). Red meat and processed meat consumption and all-cause mortality: a meta-analysis. American Journal of Epidemiology. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwt261
  2. Schwingshackl L 等 (2017). Food groups and risk of all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.117.153148
  3. Johnston BC 等 (2019). Unprocessed Red Meat and Processed Meat Consumption: Dietary Guideline Recommendations From the NutriRECS Consortium. Annals of Internal Medicine. https://doi.org/10.7326/M19-1621（争议方 NutriRECS 指南）

Mentioned in

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 2, tip 18. This section is about health and medicines. It is general information, not a substitute for a doctor’s diagnosis or prescription. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer