Smoked meat has an amazing flavour. Its usually so well cooked that the meat falls right off the bone and melts in your mouth.

However, there's a heavy price to pay for that flavour.

Smoked meat carries with it a lot of risks and the only way to reduce the risks is to reduce the intake of these meats.

Here are 5 health risks of smoked meats.

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1. Cancer

Smoked meat increase the risk of cancer due to the presence of carcinogens. Some aromatic hydrocarbons from wood are toxic. These and other substances become even more dangerous when meat is cooked under high temperatures.

2. Stomach infections

Eating smoked meats increases your chances of of bacterial contamination such as E. Coli or Listeriosis. E. coli infections can make you suffer from diarrhea and stomach pain. Listeriosis causes fever, headache and stomach pains. Eating high amounts of smoked meats and salted fish increases your risk of contracting these infections and stomach cancer.

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3. Coronary heart disease

Due to the high amounts of sodium in smoked meats, this leads to the increased risk of high blood pressure, stroke. Every daily serving of these meats increased the chances of developing heart disease by 42 percent.

People with kidney or heart disease should avoid smoked meats.

4. Diabetes

Eating smoked meats increases risk of getting Type-2 Diabetes. Every daily serving of these meats increased the chances of developing diabetes by 19 percent.