ham | Health Topics | NutritionFacts.org

Topic summary contributed by volunteer(s): Randy

Ham is pork that has been preserved either through curing, brining, salting or smoking. A number of studies have demonstrated processed meats such as ham have deleterious effects on our health. For example, the smoking process may instill carcinogens. Also, nitrates and nitrite use in processed meat to lower the risk of botulism may produce nitrosamines, potential carcinogens (see also here). Cured meat consumption may also be associated with an increased risk of lymphoma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. There may also be a positive association between processed meat intake (such as ham) and weight gain and cellulite formation. Ham and other processed meat consumption may also shorten our telomeres, the protective caps on our chromosomes.

For substantiation of any statements of fact from the peer-reviewed medical literature, please see the associated videos below.

Image Credit: Andreas Lischka / Pixabay. This image has been modified.

Ham

34 videos

All Videos for Ham

woman buying packaged meat in supermarket

How Much Does Meat Affect Longevity?

If you care about your health so much that it would be unthinkable to light up a cigarette before and after lunch, maybe you should order a bean burrito instead of a meaty one.

greasy bacon on a hot pan

How Much Cancer Does Processed Meat Cause?

I quantify the risks of colon and rectal cancers from eating bacon, ham, hot dogs, sausage, and lunch meat.

group of investigators considering paper materials

IARC: Processed Meat Like Bacon Causes Cancer

How did the meat industry, government, and cancer organizations respond to the confirmation that processed meat, like bacon, ham, hot dogs, and lunch meat, causes cancer?

spice and herb collection in bowls and spoons on a black wooden background

Which Foods Are Anti-Inflammatory?

Foods that reduce inflammation. What does an anti-inflammatory diet look like?

The Effects of Processed Meat on Lung Function

The Effects of Processed Meat on Lung Function

If the nitrites in foods like ham and bacon cause lung damage, what about “uncured” meat with “no nitrites added”?

Does Heme Iron Cause Cancer?

Does Heme Iron Cause Cancer?

Laboratory models suggest that extreme doses of heme iron may be detrimental, but what about the effects of nutritional doses in humans? A look at heme’s carcinogenic effects.

What About the Heme in Impossible Burgers?

What About the Heme in Impossible Burgers?

Is heme just an innocent bystander in the link between meat intake and breast cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure?

Are Aluminum Pots, Bottles, and Foil Safe?

Are Aluminum Pots, Bottles, and Foil Safe?

DNA damage is assessed in users of aluminum cookware.

How to Prevent Toxoplasmosis

How to Prevent Toxoplasmosis

The risk of contracting the brain parasite toxoplasma from kitty litter vs. meat.

Detoxifying with Chlorella

Detoxifying with Chlorella

Chlorella is put to the test for liver disease, cholesterol, and detoxifying carcinogens.

The Best Food for Fibroids

The Best Food for Fibroids

Women with uterine fibroids should consider adding green tea to their daily diet, as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled interventional trial suggests it may help as well as surgery.

The Best Diet for Fibroids

The Best Diet for Fibroids

The same diet that helps regulate hormones in women may also reduce exposure to endocrine-disrupting pollutants.

The Effects of Too Much Arsenic in the Diet

The Effects of Too Much Arsenic in the Diet

Even at low-level exposure, arsenic is not just a class I carcinogen, but may also impair our immune function and increase our risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Lowering Our Sodium to Potassium Ratio to Reduce Stroke Risk

Lowering Our Sodium-to-Potassium Ratio to Reduce Stroke Risk

The potassium content in greens is one of two ways they can improve artery function within minutes of consumption.

Animal Protein Compared to Cigarette Smoking

Animal Protein Compared to Cigarette Smoking

Only about 1 in 10,000 people live to be 100 years old. What’s their secret?

Meat Industry Reaction to New Cancer Guidelines

Meat Industry Reaction to New Cancer Guidelines

What was the meat industry’s response to the recommendation by leading cancer charities to stop eating processed meats, such as bacon, ham, hot dogs, sausage, and lunchmeat?

The Palatability of Cancer Prevention

The Palatability of Cancer Prevention

Dietary guidelines often patronizingly recommend what is considered acceptable or achievable, rather than what the best available balance of evidence suggests is best.

How Much Cancer Does Lunch Meat Cause?

How Much Cancer Does Lunch Meat Cause?

Why does the leading cancer and diet authority recommend we avoid bacon, ham, hot dogs, sausage, and all other processed meats—including chicken and turkey?

Food as Medicine

Food as Medicine: Preventing and Treating the Most Dreaded Diseases with Diet

Dr. Greger has scoured the world’s scholarly literature on clinical nutrition and developed this new presentation based on the latest in cutting edge research exploring the role diet may play in preventing, arresting, and even reversing some of our most feared causes of death and disability.

nurse taking blood pressure with fruit on the bottom of photo

How to Prevent High Blood Pressure with Diet

High blood pressure, the #1 killer risk factor in the world, may be eliminated with a healthy enough diet.

Telomeres: Cap It All Off With Diet

Telomeres: Cap It All Off with Diet

Is the reversal of cellular aging Dr. Dean Ornish demonstrated with lifestyle changes due to the plant-based diet, the exercise or just to the associated weight loss?

From Table to Able

From Table to Able: Combating Disabling Diseases with Food

Dr. Greger has scoured the world’s scholarly literature on clinical nutrition and developed this new presentation based on the latest in cutting-edge research exploring the role diet may play in preventing, arresting, and even reversing some of our leading causes of death and disability.

Is Liquid Smoke Flavoring Carcinogenic?

Is Liquid-Smoke Flavoring Carcinogenic?

Different brands of liquid smoke flavorings have been tested for DNA-damaging potential, p53 activation, and levels of known carcinogens. Smoked foods such as ham, turkey, barbequed chicken, herring, and salmon were also tested.

Bacon, Eggs, and Gestational Diabetes During Pregnancy

Bacon, Eggs, and Gestational Diabetes During Pregnancy

Eating meat or eggs before pregnancy may increase the risk of gestational diabetes.

How to Reach the Antioxidant RDA

How to Reach the Antioxidant “RDA”

Even nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day may not reach the minimum recommended intake of antioxidants if one doesn’t make the right choices.

Can Cellulite Be Treated with Diet?

Two theories about the buildup of subcutaneous fat, involving the chemical spermine and the hormone adiponectin, suggest a plant-based diet may help with cellulite.

Meat and Weight Gain in the PANACEA Study

Meat and Weight Gain in the PANACEA Study

In one of the largest nutrition studies ever, total meat consumption was significantly associated with weight gain in men and women—and the link remained even after controlling for calories.

Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death

Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death

Death in America is largely a foodborne illness. Focusing on studies published just over the last year in peer-reviewed scientific medical journals, Dr. Greger offers practical advice on how best to feed ourselves and our families to prevent, treat, and even reverse many of the top 15 killers in the United States.

Preventing COPD with Diet

Preventing COPD with Diet

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is now the third leading cause of death. The good news is that. in addition to smoking cessation, there are dietary interventions that can help prevent COPD.

woman's hands holding package of chicken

EPIC Findings on Lymphoma

In a study of a half million people, which was most associated with the risk of developing lymphoma? Red meat, processed meat, poultry, offal, eggs, or milk?

assorted cold cuts

Prevention Is Better Than Cured Meat

The levels of nitrosamines—considered the most carcinogenic agents in cigarette smoke—were recently measured in an array of processed meats including chicken, turkey, and pork.

Bacon and Botulism

Bacon & Botulism

The nitrite preservatives in processed meats such as bologna, bacon, ham, and hot dogs form carcinogenic nitrosamines, but also reduce the growth of botulism bacteria—forcing regulators to strike a balance between consumers risking cancer, or a deadly form of food poisoning.

When Nitrates Go Bad

When Nitrites Go Bad

Nitrites in processed meat form nitrosamines, a class of potent carcinogens found in cigarette smoke, which may explain why hot dog consumption has been associated with the two leading pediatric cancers, brain tumors and childhood leukemia.

Is bacon good or is spinach bad?

Is Bacon Good or Is Spinach Bad?

If the nitrates in vegetables such as greens are health-promoting because they can be turned into nitrites, and then nitric oxide, inside our bodies, what about the nitrites added to cured meats—such as bacon, ham, and hot dogs?

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