I wouldn’t recommend eating nothing but processed meat, but...
Study of mice. Mice are primarily vegetarians. Not totally, but much more so than humans.
What levels? How much “processed meat” would be required to get to a harmful level?
What IS “processed meat”? Humans have smoked and preserved meats for thousands of years without issue.
Blood pressure: Is higher bad? Seriously. Yes, in a general population, high blood pressure is associated with bad things. That is to be expected. If you have high blood pressure caused by heavy plaque deposits in your blood vessels, that is EXTREMELY hazardous.
But there are many reasons blood pressure might be high. So first: What IS “high blood pressure”? The heart people in the USA - based on a very badly designed trial - say anything over 120/80 for any age. Europe uses a higher rating. IIRC, most family physicians agree with Europe.
And does “high blood pressure” vary by age? Again, it depends on WHY the blood pressure is high. As we age, our arteries - like our eyes - become less flexible. That will result in higher blood pressure. Doesn’t matter. Indeed, when old enough, higher blood pressure IS PROTECTIVE!
So while it is absolutely true that some of the people with higher blood pressure have a very serious issue, it does not follow that ALL PEOPLE with blood pressure over 120/80 have any issue AT ALL.
Blood pressure is a SYMPTOM of something else - possibly a larger, more muscular heart due to exercise, or due to stiffening in the arteries, or due to obstructions in the arteries, or due to having used too much Motrin over one’s life, etc. High blood pressure should be EXAMINED, but it is not by itself harmful - unless at very high levels (such as systolic levels of 160+).
I don’t advocate anyone eating huge amounts of food with lots of additives. As a rule, eat things that do no contain lists of ingredients! But just as an ice cream cone a month isn’t dangerous, neither is a bit of pepperoni on a pizza - once a month.
NOTE: I am not a doctor. But I read a lot of studies, and the studies almost never say what the press claims, and MOST nutrition studies I read are seriously flawed BY DESIGN. The blood pressure trial that insists everyone needs to be at 120/80 or lower was probably DESIGNED to get that result. And in it, they couldn’t get the average (mean) blood pressure of older adults down to 120/80 even when giving them FOUR MEDICATIONS!
This mindless approach to medicine and health needs to stop! Since I switched to Keto years ago - a high fat diet - my Total Cholesterol has stayed steady or gone down slightly. My HDL is up 50%. My LDL had gone down. Triglycerides down by 35%. My Triglyceride/HDL ratio is now 1.0.
But because my LDL is still over 100, the doctor recommended I switch to a low fat diet, or at least eliminate animal fat. I told her no way in hell. She said she was required by her employer to say that, but she understood why I wasn’t going to follow it.
Something is seriously wrong with our health care system!
Good for you. Choresterol, is essential in the building and rebuilding of cell structure that takes place every second in our bodies. Without cholesterol we will die. I am anti-statin. A good diet and healthy lifestyle does more good than statins ever will.
Yes. It's run by government bureaucrats, insurance company bean counters, and pharmaceutical company salesmen. All of these have some vested interest in "managing your condition" rather than helping you be as healthy as possible.