Hayom sh'nayim v'esrim yom, shehaym shelosha shavuot v'yom echad baomer

Cured meats can cause lung damage. That finding was announced earlier this month when a study was published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. The study found that people who regularly consumed cured meats were nearly twice as likely to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Says the doctor who led the study, "Cured meats ... are high in nitrites, which are added to meat products as a preservative, an anti-microbial agent and a colour fixative. Nitrites ... may cause damage to the lungs, producing structural changes resembling emphysema."