It has long been known that sausage is anything but healthy and is considered carcinogenic. Fortunately, sausage and meat consumption has been declining for years, but plenty of salami, ham and Mettwurst are still eaten in this country. We explain to you how daily meat and sausage consumption affects your health.
In the 2020 annual report of the German Butchers’ Association, the average annual consumption of meat per capita was 59.5 kilograms in 2019 . That’s the equivalent of about 163 grams of meat a day. This includes cured meats – processed meat products that have been altered by salting, smoking, maturing or fermenting. It has long been known that processed meat products are anything but healthy and can make us sick. We explain how regular sausage consumption affects your health.
Table of Contents
This can happen if you eat sausage every day
1. Sausage increases your risk of cancer
Various studies show how harmful the regular consumption of salami, ham and co is: A study by the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) from 2012 was able to prove that a daily consumption of processed meat can increase the risk of death by 20 percent. The University of Zurich came to similar conclusions with its study , in which around 450,000 people took part. “Around three percent of all premature deaths are estimated to be due to the high consumption of meat products,” says a press release.
DGE: 300 to 600 g of meat per week
The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies processed meat in the same danger category as tobacco, asbestos and alcohol – namely as “carcinogenic to humans”.
“Eat little and rarely” is the motto of the German Society for Nutrition (DGE). According to the DGE, a weekly amount of 300 grams is sufficient for adults with a low calorie requirement . People with high calorie needs can consume up to 600 grams.
nutrition expert dr. Matthias Riedl, specialist in internal medicine, diabetologist and nutritionist, warns: “Meat, especially red meat, is considered to be increasingly dangerous from a quantity of 600 grams per week. The iron in this meat, the so-called heme iron, unfolds cell-damaging activities for us and this can lead to a higher rate of colon cancer.” It is even worse with sausage products: “They not only contain this heme iron, they are also preserved with nitrite pickling salt and even more likely to promote cancer.”
dr Riedl clarifies: How unhealthy is meat consumption?
Our nutrition doctor Dr. In the video, Matthias Riedl explains why eating too much meat is a concern and what health consequences too much meat can cause.
