A new study suggests red meat is less harmful than eating bacon, sausage, hot dogs and other processed meats, which are more likely to increase the likelihood of heart disease and diabetes.

According to a team of researchers from Harvard School of Public Health, who reviewed 20 studies involving over one million participants from 10 countries and found, eating just 50-gm. of processed meat a day also raised the risk of diabetes. The team from Harvard School of Public Health looked at 20 studies involving more than one million participants from 10 countries.

However, eating twice as much unprocessed meat like beef, lamb or pork did not pose any such risk, despite the two forms of meat having a similar fat content.

The researchers writing in the journal Circulation speculate, the fact that there are similar quantities of cholesterol and saturated fats, the salt and chemical preservatives added to processed meats could explain the difference.

This is defined as any meat preserved by smoking, curing or salting, including bacon, sausages, salami, hot dogs, processed deli or luncheon meats.

Salt is known to increase blood pressure, which is a key risk factor for heart disease.

Nitrate preservatives have been found to promote atherosclerosis and reduce glucose tolerance in animal studies, in turn leading to heart problems and diabetes.

On average, each 50-gm serving of processed meat per day, the equivalent of a sausage or a couple of rashers of bacon, is associated with a 42% higher chance of developing coronary heart disease and a 19% higher risk of diabetes.

Victoria Taylor, Senior Heart Health Dietician at the British Heart Foundation recommends, if people like red meat they can still include it as part of a balanced heart healthy diet, going for leaner cuts, cooking from scratch and using healthier cooking methods, such as, grilling or baking. They can add flavour by using fresh and dried herbs, spices and chillies, instead of salt.

However, a spokesman for BPEX that represents pork producers, insisting processed meats could form part of a balanced diet, suggested further research was needed before any dietary recommendations could be made.

Last month, the Institute of Medicine urged the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate the amount of salt added to foods to help Americans reduce their high sodium intake.

The FDA has not yet said whether it will regulate salt in foods, but is looking at the issue.