Processed Meats and Lung Disease

Bodybuilders and athletes, who practice on more professional level don't allow processed meats in their diets, but active (and of course sedentary) people with less knowledge about proper nutrition still haven't excluded these from their daily menus.

Researchers from the Columbia university found that frequent consumption of cured meats can lead to lung disease known as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).

What causes problems in this area is actually a preservative, added in processed meats. It's called nitrites. It is speculated that nitrites produce reactive nitrogen chemicals, which cause lung damage, similar to the damage from emphysema.

Processed meats don't have a place in a healthy and sound diet for another reason - they are usually high in saturated fats.