Regular consumption of processed meats is associated with a greater risk of hypertension in women.

This study evaluated the relationship between the consumption of red meat and the occurrence of hypertension. Using validated and reproducible food frequency questionnaires, researchers examined the unprocessed and processed red meat intakes of 44,616 healthy French women. The hypertension odds ratio of each of the participant in this study was also assessed.

Researchers observed a high incidence of hypertension among subjects who consistently consumed large amounts of processed meats. On the other hand, high dietary ingestion of unprocessed red meat was found to have little or no effect on hypertension risk. Subjects with a weekly processed meat intake of 5 or more servings had 17% higher risk of developing hypertension than those who consumed less than 1 serving of processed meats per week. The findings of this study suggest that generous intake of diets high in processed meats may accelerate the development of hypertension in women.