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- U.S. sales rose by nearly 10% last year to an all-time record of $4 billion
- But doctors say bacon raises the risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes
- This may be due to the salt and preservatives in it
- Researchers add that combining it with maple syrup makes us crave it more
PUBLISHED: 18:19 GMT, 18 February 2014 | UPDATED: 19:01 GMT, 18 February 2014
Doctors have warned that our unwavering love of bacon could be sending us to an early grave.
Figures released last week revealed that bacon sales in the U.S. rose by nearly 10 per cent last year to an all time record of $4 billion.
And research by pork supplier supplier Smithfield found that 65 per cent of Americans were behind the idea of making bacon the country's 'national food'.
Figures released last week revealed that bacon sales in the U.S. rose by nearly 10 per cent last year to an all time record of $4 billion. But doctors say unprocessed meat increases the risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes
But medical experts have repeatedly warned of the dangers of eating too much processed meat, as it has been linked to cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
Worse still, the legendary pairing of bacon and maple syrup is even more damaging, Harvard scientists have warned.
They say when bacon or sausages are combined with sugar, this makes our craving for the meat worse - a phenomenon known as 'food trifecta'.
This is defined as the irresistible trio of fat, salt, and sugar, Live Science reports.
Previous research has pinpointed the exact chemical reaction that makes bacon so smell so tempting.
Called the Maillard reaction, it occurs between an amino acid and a reducing sugar when heated.
The acid and sugar react to release a huge amount of smells and flavour that make us salivate.
WHY DOES BACON MAKE US SALIVATE?
Previous research has pinpointed the exact chemical reaction that makes bacon so smell so tempting.
Called the Maillard reaction, it occurs between an amino acid and a reducing sugar when heated.
The acid and sugar react to release a huge amount of smells and flavour that make us salivate.
Elin Roberts, of the Centre for Life education centre in Newcastle, explained the reaction releases hundreds of smells and flavours, but it is the smell which reels in the eater.
'If we couldn't smell, then taste wouldn't be the same.'
The legendary pairing of bacon and maple syrup is even more damaging, experts warn. They say when bacon or sausages are combined with sugar, this makes our craving for the meat worse - a phenomenon known as 'food trifecta'
Another theory is that the meat has a special savoury taste called 'umami'. This is the Japanese word for the fifth basic sense of taste, after bitter, salty, sour and sweet - and is the main reason why we like foods such as cheese, bacon and soy sauce.
But experts are increasingly concerned about how much processed meat we are all eating.
Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health have found that eating processed meat, such as bacon, sausage or processed deli meats, was associated with a 42 per cent higher risk of heart disease and a 19 per cent higher risk of Type 2 diabetes.
But they did not find any higher risk of heart disease or diabetes among individuals eating unprocessed red meat, such as from beef, pork, or lamb.
Researcher Renata Micha said: 'When we looked at average nutrients in unprocessed red and processed meats eaten in the United States, we found that they contained similar average amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol.
'In contrast, processed meats contained, on average, four times more sodium (salt) and 50 per cent more nitrate preservatives.'
This suggests that differences in salt and preservatives, rather than fats, might explain the higher risk of heart disease and diabetes seen with processed meats, but not with unprocessed red meats.'
Salt is known to increase blood pressure, a strong risk factor for heart disease.
In animal experiments, nitrate preservatives can promote hardening of the arteries and reduce glucose tolerance, effects which could increase risk of heart disease and diabetes.
To lower risk of heart attacks and diabetes, people should consider which types of meats they are eating, she said.
'Processed meats - such as bacon, salami, sausages, hot dogs and processed deli meats - may be the most important to avoid. Based on our findings, eating one serving per week or less would be associated with relatively small risk.'
Last year, a massive number-crunching exercise has revealed that dishes with bacon really do taste better - and very few taste worse.
Tech magazine Wired teamed up with the Food Network to analyse 50,000 recipes and 906,539 comments on them.
Last year, a massive number-crunching exercise revealed that dishes with bacon - sandwiches in particular - really do taste better
Explaining how the results were calculated, Wired writer Cliff Kuang said: 'First, we searched out all the recipes that fit a certain description - sandwiches, for example.
'Then, we calculated the average rating for those foods if they did not include the word “bacon.”
'We ran the numbers again using only recipes that did include bacon. Of all the foods we analysed, bacon lends the most improvement to sandwiches.'
Many other dishes also got a boost when bacon was added - when the data was analysed, those with with a rasher or two included got better scores.
There are various theories as to why - not least because of the crunch and flavour bacon adds to sandwiches. It's also a good addition to salads - providing it doesn't go soggy.
Recipes with spinach and asparagus were all rated better when they contained bacon, for example.
But it wasn't all good news. There are foods that get worse with bacon - namely pasta (particularly in creamy sauces) and, rather unsurprisingly, desserts.
Read more: How our obsession with BACON could send us to an early grave | Mail Online
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