Eating just one burger or bacon sandwich a week makes a heart attack or stroke 46 per cent more likely

ONE burger, bacon or sausage sarnie a week can kill, a study suggests.

People who eat 150g of processed meat every seven days are 46 per cent more prone to heart attack and stroke.

They are 51 per cent more likely to die in the next decade than people eating none, as processed meat contains saturated fats that clog arteries.

Unprocessed meats do not harm health, the 21-country study found.

Prof Romaina Iqbal, of the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan, said: “Limiting the intake of processed meat should be encouraged."

The researchers said: "Higher processed meat intake was associated with higher risks of both total mortality and major cardiovascular disease."

The study launched in 2003 shed light on meat intakes and health from low, middle and high-income countries.

Senior author Dr Salim Yusuf said: "It examines substantially more diverse populations and broad patterns of diet, enabling us to provide new evidence that distinguishes between the effects of processed and unprocessed meats."

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