How much sausage do you eat? Processed meat lovers in Thailand might want to cut back on their sausage intake after a recent announcement by the Foundation for Consumers that sausage can be bad for your health.
Last year, the WHO announced findings that processed meats including sausage, bacon and ham may encourage cancer. Now the Thai Foundation for Consumers has further linked sausages to health problems caused by preservatives in the popular, budget-friendly meats, according to the Bangkok Post.
A recent test by Chalard Su (Smart Buyers) magazine found that, of 15 Thai sausages tested, 14 contained either nitrite, nitrate, or both. These food preservatives are common and legal but the levels in most of the tested sausages exceeded what is deemed safe by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
These chemical preservatives are added to prohibit growth of bacteria and keep the meat from going brown before you buy it. However, in high levels, they can be linked to cancer, fatigue, difficulty breathing, headache and a racing heart, which can be fatal.
According to the IARC, every 50g portion of processed meat eaten per day can increase colorectal cancer risk by 18 percent.
Professor Wenika Benjapong of Mahidol University’s Institute of Nutrition suggests cutting back on your consumption of sausage and other processed meat.
If you just can’t live without your fix of thick sausage, she suggests looking for labels that say “preservative-free” or “additive-free.”
Now that’s something to chew on.
