In this article we will discuss the relationship between the consumption of Iberian ham, salt intake and hypertension. The information we provide is reliable and contrasted. We hope it will be of interest to you.
Salt consumption and health in Iberian ham
Our body needs to ingest salt daily to maintain an adequate salt balance. The problem arises when this consumption exceeds the 5 grams per day recommended by the health authorities due to the risk of increased blood pressure.
As a consequence, it has been recommended to restrict salt consumption. A message that has been so deeply rooted in consumers that a high salt content is one of the characteristics that most negatively penalizes the decision to buy a ham.
What is the truth in this salt – ham binomial?
What is certain is that the supposed excess of salt in ham has given rise to a recurrent and worrying belief among consumers that ham consumption can cause hypertension.
This supposed amount of salt in ham has “demonized” its consumption. As an example, in the information of the “Cuidaté + Plan”, from a list of 223 commonly consumed products, ham is in 2nd place in terms of the amount of salt it provides per serving. The culinary measure it provides is 1 gram, given the reduction in the amount of salt that has taken place in ham in recent years, of more than 30%.
Let’s assume that our usual consumption of ham is 2 times per week and that we eat 50 grams of ham on each occasion.
We have reviewed the nutritional labeling of our producers of Iberian ham and Duroc crossbred ham. Its salt content is between 2.4 grams and 4.9 grams per 100 grams of product.
Therefore, if you feel like buying a ham online at ibericomio and you eat a couple of times a week, you will be ingesting, at the highest end, a maximum of 10grs of salt. If we go to the average, you would consume about 6 grams of salt by eating ham. That is 17% of the recommended weekly amount, 5 grams per day or 35 grams per week.
Is ham responsible for hypertension?
Ham, of course, affects our blood pressure as do all the foods we eat. Our lifestyle habits also influence hypertension.
Is Iberian ham or shoulder ham good for high blood pressure? We must bear in mind that ham is a very complex biochemical system and that, together with salt, we find other compounds that also have an effect on our health.
We discovered that ham also helps control and lower blood pressure. In an Iberian ham cured for at least 24 months or an Iberian shoulder ham cured for at least 12 months, you will find potassium, amino acids, the main molecules that make up proteins, and small peptides (made up of 2 or 3 amino acids) that are released from proteins during maturation.
During the ham curing process there is a process called proteolysis, which consists of the fragmentation of proteins into smaller peptides and amino acids. This proteolysis occurs in the higher temperature phases (+25ºC) in the ham dryers.
It has been studied how this huge amount of small fragments of proteins that are released affects our health. Specifically from the point of view of its anti-hypertensive properties.
It has been concluded that:
-In laboratory conditions, they inhibit up to 90% of angiotensin formation systems, a potent vasoconstrictor.
-They are effective in reducing blood pressure in hypertensive laboratory animals.
Therefore, when we went on to evaluate the effects on blood pressure of ham consumption in humans, we found that intervention studies with an intake of 120 grams of ham reduced blood pressure slightly, but significantly. And epidemiological studies on more than 10,000 individuals whose consumption of ham was frequent, 2 to 4 times a week, ruled out the existence of a relationship with increased blood pressure.
According to a study carried out at the Ramón y Cajal Hospital in Madrid, consumption of Iberian ham is good for maintaining blood pressure at optimum levels; in fact, it improves one of the thermometers of vascular health, the endothelium, the tissue that lines our arteries.
To the question we asked ourselves at the beginning, we can answer in a favorable way: hypertensive patients can consume ham, preferably Iberian ham, and always in moderation, since its salt content is not as high as believed and it has compounds with antipertensive effects.
In fact, we have many customers who come to buy Iberian ham in our online store on medical advice as part of an overall diet with moderate consumption of different foods and always accompanied with a constant physical exercise in time and moderate intensity.
In short, as Dr. Antonio Escribano says, “Ham is good and it is also good”.
