Pastrami: a salty cured meat judged by its category

In a 14-day crossover trial in 20 healthy men, replacing 240 g a day of red and processed meat with mycoprotein lowered LDL cholesterol by 12.3 percent from baseline, a secondary result from a small, short, men-only study. We did not find a trial of pastrami by itself. The research files it under processed meat, so most of this page speaks about that category and says so. Salt is the plain fact. USDA lists turkey pastrami at 1123 mg of sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g), 49 percent of the Daily Value, and the lean beef record at 1010 mg, from two legacy records with no sampled spread. The US food survey puts a regular sandwich at 2 oz (56 g) of meat, which recalculates to roughly 570 to 630 mg of sodium from the meat alone. In pooled cohort studies, each 50 g a day of processed meat went with 42 percent higher coronary heart disease risk (RR 1.42, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.89), an observational link that does not separate pastrami from other cured meats. The reviewers attribute about two thirds of that gap to sodium, an estimate they drew from composition rather than measured.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• USDA lists turkey pastrami at 1123 mg of sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g), which is 49% of the Daily Value, and the beef 98% fat-free record is close at 1010 mg. — USDA SR Legacy records for Pastrami, turkey and Pastrami, beef, 98% fat-free (n = 2 records) Evidence E source
  Sodium 1010 to 1123 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g) (up to 49% DV), protein 16.3 to 19.6 g, selenium 10.4 to 16.1 mcg
• Processed meat carries about 400 percent more sodium than unprocessed meat, and that gap appears to explain about two thirds of its extra coronary risk. — red and processed meats compared across prospective cohort studies (n = not stated in the abstract) Evidence C source
  About 400 percent more sodium in processed meat; about two thirds of the coronary risk difference attributed to it

What a real portion looks like

• The US food survey counts one slice of pastrami as 28 g and a regular sandwich as 56 g, so a regular sandwich at USDA sodium levels carries roughly 570 to 630 mg of sodium from the meat alone. — FNDDS portion weights for Pastrami, NFS (FNDDS code 25221215) (n = 5 portion measures) Evidence E source
  1 slice 28 g, regular sandwich 56 g, large sandwich 84 g, 1 cup pieces 140 g

What your body absorbs

• Over 5 days of fully controlled meals, 6.3 oz (180 g) of pork a day raised fractional non-heme iron absorption to 7.9 percent against 5.3 percent on a vegetarian diet. — 19 healthy women on three 5-day whole-diet periods, two with meat and one vegetarian, all high in phytic acid (n = 19) Evidence B source
  Fractional non-heme iron absorption 7.9%, 6.8% and 5.3% for the two meat diets and the vegetarian diet
• Heme iron on its own was absorbed at 10.3 percent, and adding beef left that unchanged, while fish cut it to 7.1 percent and chicken to 4.9 percent. — 45 women aged 35 to 45 randomly assigned to three iron absorption sub-studies (n = 45) Evidence B source
  Heme iron bioavailability 10.3% alone, 7.1% with fish, 4.9% with chicken, unchanged with beef
• In a crossover study of 9 adults, 95 to 98 percent of an oral dose of sodium nitrite in water reached the bloodstream, with little removed by the liver on first pass. — 9 healthy adults, two oral doses and one intravenous dose of sodium nitrite (n = 9) Evidence B source
  Absolute bioavailability 98% at 0.12 and 95% at 0.06 mmol NaNO2 per mmol Hb

What it does to your health

• In pooled prospective cohorts, each 50 g a day of processed meat went with 42 percent higher coronary heart disease risk (RR 1.42, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.89). — adults in prospective cohort studies of red and processed meat intake (n = not stated in the abstract) Evidence C source
  RR per 50 g a day 1.42 (95% CI 1.07 to 1.89) for coronary heart disease; type 2 diabetes RR 1.51 (1.25 to 1.83)
• Across 54 meta-analyses, each extra 1.8 oz (50 g) of processed meat a day went with 17 percent higher colorectal cancer risk and 72 percent higher gastric cancer risk. — adults in observational studies pooled by 34 systematic reviews and meta-analyses, to May 2025 (n = 34 articles, 54 meta-analyses) Evidence C source
  Per 50 g a day: colorectal cancer +17 percent, gastric cancer +72 percent, prostate cancer +4 percent, COPD +8 percent
• In a Los Angeles case-control study of 1660 bladder cancer cases and 1586 controls, eating salami, pastrami and corned beef was associated with bladder cancer risk, most clearly in non-smokers. — 1660 bladder cancer cases and 1586 controls in the population-based Los Angeles Bladder Cancer Study (n = 3246) Evidence C source
  Statistically significant association; the abstract does not give the odds ratio
• In a 14-day crossover trial in 20 healthy men, swapping 240 g a day of red and processed meat for mycoprotein lowered LDL cholesterol by 12.3 percent from baseline. — 20 metabolically healthy adult men, 240 g a day of red and processed meat or mycoprotein for 14 days each (n = 20) Evidence B source
  LDL cholesterol -12.3% (P = 0.02), total cholesterol -6.74% (P = 0.02), waist -0.37 in (-0.95 cm) vs meat (P = 0.04); blood pressure change not significant
• Pooling cohort studies, each daily serving of processed meat went with 0.57 lb (0.26 kg) a year more weight gain, an association the authors call very weak and of low certainty. — adults in 3 cohort studies with measured body weight (n = 381 291) Evidence C source
  +0.26 kg per year per daily serving (95% CI 0.03 to 0.48), I2 93%
• Across 31 observational studies, higher processed meat intake went with 65 percent higher risk of colorectal polyps, but not of colorectal adenoma. — adults in 31 observational studies of meat subtypes and precancerous colorectal lesions, to December 2024 (n = 31 studies) Evidence C source
  Colorectal polyps RR 1.65 (95% CI 1.05 to 2.61); colorectal adenoma RR 1.14 (0.93 to 1.41)

Safety, limits and interactions

• Citing IARC and the World Cancer Research Fund, the review states that no level of processed meat intake can be confidently called safe for colorectal cancer prevention, so there is no upper limit to quote. — the general adult population, as addressed by IARC and WCRF Evidence C source
  No threshold; a position rather than a measured effect
• Pooling 100 surveys, Listeria monocytogenes was found in 2.9 percent of deli meat samples (95% CI 2.3 to 3.6 percent), a little more often than in soft cheese or packaged salad. — deli meat, soft cheese and packaged salad samples in 100 prevalence studies with at least 100 samples each (n = 100 studies) Evidence C source
  Prevalence in deli meat 2.9% (95% CI 2.3 to 3.6%), soft cheese 2.4%, packaged salad 2.0%
• Whole-muscle brine-cured products, the category pastrami belongs to, are one of the two largest sources of dietary nitrite and nitrate from cured meats in the United States, for adults and for children aged 2 to 5. — US population aged 2 years and older and children aged 2 to 5, NHANES 2009-2012 and a 10 to 14 day intake database (n = national survey data) Evidence C source
  Cured cooked sausages and whole-muscle brine-cured products were the two largest contributing categories; no milligram totals in the abstract

Who this works differently for

• A Los Angeles study of 232 children with leukemia and 232 controls asked about luncheon meats including pastrami, and after adjustment the only lasting associations were with hot dogs, not with the luncheon meat group. — 232 leukemia cases aged birth to 10 years and 232 controls, Los Angeles County, 1980 to 1987 (n = 464) Evidence C source
  Children eating 12 or more hot dogs a month OR 9.5 (95% CI 1.6 to 57.6); no persistent association reported for luncheon meats
• A US risk model attributes more than 90 percent of estimated invasive listeriosis cases to deli meats, and 96.6 to 98.0 percent of cases to people at increased risk. — the US population modeled by susceptibility group, including people with underlying conditions (n = model estimate, 1044 to 2089 cases) Evidence C source
  Deli meats over 90 percent of cases; increased-risk population 96.6 to 98.0 percent of cases; infection probability 10 to 10,000 times higher in the susceptible population
• CDC reports that about 1 in 4 pregnant women who get Listeria infection lose the pregnancy or the baby shortly after birth. — pregnant women with listeriosis in the US Evidence E source
  About 1 in 4 pregnant women with listeriosis lose the pregnancy or the baby shortly after birth
• CDC lists pregnant women, adults 65 and older and people with a weakened immune system as at higher risk of Listeria and advises them to avoid unheated deli meat and cold cuts and eat them reheated to 165°F or until steaming hot. — people at higher risk of listeriosis: pregnant women, adults 65 and older, people with a weakened immune system Evidence E source
  Avoid unheated deli meat, cold cuts, hot dogs and fermented or dry sausages, eat them reheated to 165°F (74°C) or until steaming hot

What is still unknown

• The same umbrella review grades every one of those dose-response numbers as low or very low certainty evidence. — the published synthesis literature on processed meat and health outcomes (n = 54 meta-analyses) Evidence C source
  No effect estimate; a GRADE judgement on the evidence

The bottom line

The cancer numbers are larger and weaker. An umbrella review of 54 meta-analyses found that each extra 1.8 oz (50 g) of processed meat a day went with 17 percent higher colorectal cancer risk and 72 percent higher gastric cancer risk. The same review grades every one of those dose-response figures as low or very low certainty. Across 31 observational studies, higher processed meat intake went with more colorectal polyps (RR 1.65, 95% CI 1.05 to 2.61), while the estimate for adenoma (RR 1.14, 0.93 to 1.41) did not reach significance. Pooling three cohorts of 381 291 adults, each daily serving went with 0.57 lb (0.26 kg) a year of extra weight gain (95% CI 0.03 to 0.48), a link the authors rate as low certainty. Pastrami is named in only two studies we found, both case-control designs from Los Angeles. Among 1660 bladder cancer cases and 1586 controls, eating salami, pastrami and corned beef was associated with bladder cancer, most clearly in non-smokers, with diet recalled after diagnosis and no odds ratio in the abstract. Among 232 children with leukemia and 232 controls, the luncheon meat group that included pastrami kept no lasting association after adjustment. Only hot dogs did, with an odds ratio of 9.5 and an interval from 1.6 to 57.6. On absorption, beef left the uptake of heme iron unchanged at 10.3 percent in single labeled meals of fresh beef in 45 women, while fish and chicken lowered it. Over five controlled days in 19 women, 6.3 oz (180 g) of pork a day raised non-heme iron absorption to 7.9 percent against 5.3 percent on a vegetarian diet high in phytic acid. Neither study used cured meat. In 9 adults, 95 to 98 percent of sodium nitrite dissolved in water reached the bloodstream, at doses far above the nitrite left in a slice of cured meat, and nitrite bound in meat was not tested. We found no data on what brining, smoking or steaming does to pastrami itself. The cautions are real. Citing IARC and the World Cancer Research Fund, the umbrella review says no level of processed meat intake can be confidently called safe for colorectal cancer prevention, so there is no upper limit to quote. Listeria was found in 2.9 percent of deli meat samples across 100 surveys (95% CI 2.3 to 3.6 percent), with heterogeneity high enough that the authors advise against using the global figure for risk assessment. A US risk model attributes more than 90 percent of estimated invasive listeriosis cases to deli meats and 96.6 to 98.0 percent of cases to people at increased risk, which are modeled cases, not counted ones. CDC lists pregnant women, adults 65 and older and people with a weakened immune system as at higher risk of Listeria. It advises them to avoid unheated deli meat and cold cuts and to eat them reheated to 165 °F (74 °C) or until steaming hot. Cold pastrami is the kind of food that advice covers. CDC also reports that about 1 in 4 pregnant women who get Listeria infection lose the pregnancy or the baby shortly after birth. Whole-muscle brine-cured products are one of the two largest sources of dietary nitrite and nitrate in the US, for adults and for children aged 2 to 5, in a modeled exposure estimate built on a residue survey the meat industry funded.

Sources

1. pstr-r4-01 · USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy, dataset
   Pastrami, turkey (FDC 172927, SR Legacy, Sausages and Luncheon Meats): sodium 1123 mg per 100 g = 49% DV; protein 16.3 g = 33% DV; selenium 16.1 mcg = 29% DV; range across 2 records sodium 1010-1123 mg, protein 16.3-19.6 g; Foundation samples 0, CoFID match none
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC 172927 · checked 2026-09-29
2. pstr-r4-03 · meta-analysis of cohorts
   Differences in sodium content (~400 % higher in processed meat) appear to account for about two-thirds of this risk difference.
   Curr Atheroscler Rep, 2012 · checked 2026-09-29
3. pstr-r4-02 · USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, dataset
   Pastrami, NFS (FNDDS 25221215, FDC 2706183, Cold cuts and cured meats): 1 slice, NFS 28 g; Guideline amount on regular sandwich 56 g; Guideline amount on large sandwich 84 g; 1 cup, pieces 140 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, Pastrami, NFS, FDC 2706183 · checked 2026-09-29
4. pstr-r4-14 · randomized crossover trial
   The mean fractional absorption of non-haem iron was 7.9 (se1.1), 6.8 (se 1.0) and 5.3 (se 0.6) % for the Danish and Polish meat diets and vegetarian diet, respectively.
   Br J Nutr, 2005 · checked 2026-09-29
5. pstr-r4-15 · randomized controlled absorption trial
   Study 2: the bioavailability from heme alone (10.3%) was reduced (p<0.05) when it was blended with fish (7.1%) and chicken (4.9%), however it was unaffected by beef.
   Food Chem, 2016 · checked 2026-09-29
6. pstr-r4-16 · randomized crossover trial
   Absolute bioavailability of nitrite was 98% after oral administration of 0.12 mmol NaNO(2)/mmol Hb, and 95% after oral administration of 0.06 mmol NaNO(2)/mmol Hb.
   Toxicol Lett, 2009 · checked 2026-09-29
7. pstr-r4-04 · meta-analysis of cohorts
   In meta-analyses of prospective cohorts, higher risk of CHD is seen with processed meat consumption (RR per 50 g: 1.42, 95 %CI = 1.07-1.89), but a smaller increase or no risk is seen with unprocessed meat consumption.
   Curr Atheroscler Rep, 2012 · checked 2026-09-29
8. pstr-r4-05 · umbrella review
   Dose-response analysis revealed that an increase in PM consumption of 50 g/day was associated with a 72% higher risk of gastric cancer, 17% higher risk of colorectal cancer, 4% higher risk of prostate cancer, and an 8% higher risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
   Front Public Health, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
9. pstr-r4-08 · case-control study
   Intake of liver and of salami/pastrami/corned beef, were both statistically significantly associated with risk of bladder cancer in this study, particularly among nonsmokers.
   Int J Cancer, 2014 · checked 2026-09-29
10. pstr-r4-13 · randomized crossover trial
    Mycoprotein consumption led to a 6.74% reduction in total cholesterol (P = 0.02) and 12.3% reduction in LDL cholesterol (P = 0.02) from baseline values.
    Eur J Nutr, 2023 · checked 2026-09-29
11. pstr-r4-17 · meta-analysis of cohorts
    Three studies (n = 381 291) were included in the random-effects model of measured body weight, resulting in a summary increase of 0.26 kg/y per 1 daily serving of processed meat (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.03-0.48; τ2: 0.03; I2: 92.95%).
    Nutr Rev, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29
12. pstr-r4-18 · meta-analysis of observational studies
    Processed meat consumption was correlated with increased colorectal polyp risk (1.65; 1.05, 2.61) but not colorectal adenoma risk (1.14; 0.93, 1.41).
    Nutr Rev, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
13. pstr-r4-07 · umbrella review
    Based on the report from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO-IARC) and the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), no level of PM intake can be confidently considered safe for the prevention of chronic diseases such as colorectal cancer.
    Front Public Health, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
14. pstr-r4-10 · meta-analysis of prevalence surveys
    We included in the review 100 studies with a sample size restriction of ≥100, and we estimated L. monocytogenes prevalence in deli meat at 2.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.3 to 3.6%), in soft cheese at 2.4% (95% CI, 1.6 to 3.6%), and in packaged salad at 2.0% (95% CI, 1.2 to 3.1%).
    J Food Prot, 2019 · checked 2026-09-29
15. pstr-r4-12 · dietary exposure assessment
    Cured, cooked sausages and whole-muscle brine-cured products were the two major contributing categories to dietary exposure of nitrite and nitrate for both U.S. population aged 2 years and older and children aged 2-5 years.
    Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess, 2018 · checked 2026-09-29
16. pstr-r4-09 · case-control study
    When the risks were adjusted for each other and other risk factors, the only persistent significant associations were for children's intake of hot dogs (odds ratio [OR] = 9.5, 95 percent confidence interval [CI] = 1.6-57.6 for 12 or more hot dogs per month, trend P = 0.01), and fathers' intake of hot dogs (OR = 11.0, CI = 1.2-98.7 for highest intake category, trend P = 0.01).
    Cancer Causes Control, 1994 · checked 2026-09-29
17. pstr-r4-11 · risk assessment model
    Most cases were attributed to deli meats (>90 % of cases) followed by RTE salads (3.9-4.5 %), soft and semi-soft cheese and RTE seafood (0.5-1.0 %) and frozen vegetables (0.2-0.3 %).
    Int J Food Microbiol, 2022 · checked 2026-09-29
18. sf-lis-r1-13 · agency advice
    Sadly, 1 in 4 pregnant women who get this illness lose their pregnancy or their baby shortly after birth.
    US CDC, People at Increased Risk for Listeria Infection · checked 2026-10-08
19. sf-lis-r1-9 · agency advice
    You may be at higher risk if you are in one of the following groups: Women who are pregnant ... People who are 65 years or older ... People who have a weakened immune system ... Unheated deli meat, cold cuts, hot dogs, and fermented or dry sausages ... Deli meat, cold cuts, hot dogs, and fermented or dry sausages reheated to 165°F or until steaming hot
    US CDC, Preventing Listeria Infection · checked 2026-10-08
20. pstr-r4-06 · umbrella review
    All the above dose-response associations are based on low to very low certainty evidence as assessed by the GRADE system.
    Front Public Health, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29