Turkey ham: poultry meat with processed-meat salt

In a meta-analysis of 8 randomized trials in 406 healthy adults, blood lipid changes did not differ significantly between eating beef and eating poultry or fish. Those trials used fresh meat, so they say nothing direct about a cured deli product, and the abstract does not show who funded them. What sets turkey ham apart is salt. The one USDA record, for extra lean deli turkey ham, lists 1038 mg of sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g), 45 percent of the Daily Value, alongside 67 mg of cholesterol and 19.6 g of protein. US rules require turkey ham to be made from boneless turkey thigh meat with the skin and surface fat removed.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

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

How much is actually in it

• Extra lean deli turkey ham has 67 mg cholesterol and 1038 mg sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g), with 19.6 g protein. — USDA reference record for sliced extra lean prepackaged or deli turkey ham Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: cholesterol 67 mg (22% DV), sodium 1038 mg (45% DV), protein 19.6 g (39% DV), selenium 37 mcg (67% DV), phosphorus 304 mg (24% DV)
• Under US rules turkey ham must be made from boneless turkey thigh meat with the skin and the surface fat attached to the skin removed. — US federal standard of identity for turkey ham Evidence E source
  Standard of identity: boneless turkey thigh meat, skin and surface fat removed, cured with approved curing agents

What a real portion looks like

• The usual US sandwich portion of turkey ham is 56 g, about two slices, which works out to roughly 38 mg cholesterol and 580 mg sodium. — US dietary survey portions for prepackaged or deli turkey ham Evidence E source
  1 slice 28 g, regular sandwich 56 g, large sandwich 84 g; at 56 g about 37.5 mg cholesterol and 581 mg sodium, recalculated from per 3.5 oz (100 g) values of FDC 168092

What it does to your health

• In a 6-week randomized trial in 102 men, cutting red and processed meat from 760 g to 200 g a week and adding legumes lowered total and LDL cholesterol. — 102 healthy working-age men, mean age 38, 6 weeks (n = 102) Evidence B source
  LEGUME group lower total and LDL cholesterol than MEAT group at endpoint (both P < 0.001), also lower BMI and weight (P = 0.009)
• In a 14-day crossover trial in 20 healthy men, replacing 240 g a day of red and processed meat with mycoprotein cut LDL cholesterol by 12.3% from baseline. — 20 metabolically healthy adult men, 14 days per diet, crossover (n = 20) Evidence B source
  LDL cholesterol -12.3% and total cholesterol -6.74% from baseline on mycoprotein (both P = 0.02)
• A meta-analysis of 31 observational studies linked processed meat with 65% higher odds of colorectal polyps, but found no clear link with adenomas. — 31 observational studies published up 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); white meat and adenomas RR 0.79 (0.63 to 0.99)

Safety, limits and interactions

• In a 12-week randomized trial in 113 adults, a meat-based diet raised the DNA-damaging activity of stool water by about 16%, while a pesco-vegetarian diet did not. — 113 healthy adults aged 18 to 50 randomized, 103 completed, 12 weeks free-living (n = 113) Evidence B source
  Fecal water genotoxicity +15.97% DNA damage after the meat-based diet (95% CI 4.61 to 27.32, p = 0.006), no significant change with pesco-vegetarian diet
• Cohort data link each daily 1.8 oz (50 g) of processed meat with a 42% higher coronary heart disease risk, and its roughly fourfold sodium appears to explain about two thirds of the gap with fresh meat. — Prospective cohorts pooled in earlier meta-analyses, reviewed in 2012 Evidence C source
  CHD RR per 50 g processed meat 1.42 (95% CI 1.07 to 1.89); diabetes RR per 50 g 1.51 (1.25 to 1.83)
• WHO defines processed meat by curing, salting or smoking and lists ham as an example, so a cured turkey ham falls under that definition even though it is poultry. — WHO public guidance on red and processed meat Evidence E source
  Definition only, no risk estimate

What people believe that the data does not support

• A meta-analysis of 8 randomized trials in 406 adults found that changes in fasting blood lipids did not differ significantly between eating beef and eating poultry or fish. — Adults free of chronic disease in 8 randomized controlled trials published 1950 to 2010 (n = 406) Evidence A source
  LDL cholesterol change -8.2 mg/dL with beef vs -8.9 mg/dL with poultry or fish (P = .905); total cholesterol -8.1 vs -6.2 mg/dL (P = .630)

The bottom line

A regular sandwich takes about 56 g, two slices. Recalculated from that extra lean record, it carries around 581 mg of sodium, about a quarter of the Daily Value, and 38 mg of cholesterol. Other turkey hams may hold a different amount of salt, and the record is a single entry with no spread across samples. WHO defines processed meat as meat transformed by salting, curing, smoking or similar processes, and names ham among its examples. Applying that to a poultry ham is our reading of the definition, and the cancer evaluation behind it looked mostly at pork and beef. The evidence on processed meat as a group is observational. Cohort data link each 50 g a day of processed meat with a higher risk of coronary heart disease (RR 1.42, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.89). The 2012 review behind that figure says sodium, about 400 percent higher than in fresh meat, appears to account for about two thirds of the gap, and most of that meat was pork or beef. A meta-analysis of observational studies linked processed meat with colorectal polyps (RR 1.65, 95% CI 1.05 to 2.61), while the link with adenomas did not reach significance (RR 1.14, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.41). Three randomized trials cut red and processed meat together, never turkey ham alone. In 102 healthy men over 6 weeks, eating 7.1 oz (200 g) instead of 760 g a week and adding legumes left total and LDL cholesterol lower (both P < 0.001), and the abstract gives no size for the drop. In 20 healthy men, two weeks of mycoprotein in place of 240 g a day of meat lowered LDL cholesterol by 12.3 percent from baseline. In 113 healthy adults over 12 weeks, a meat-based diet raised the DNA damage caused by stool water by about 16 percent (95% CI 4.61 to 27.32). That is a laboratory marker, and the trial did not measure cancer. If you are limiting sodium, the label number is the one to read. We have no card on children, pregnancy or medicines for this food, and that is a gap in our material.

Sources

1. tkh-r5-01 · USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, dataset
   Ham, turkey, sliced, extra lean, prepackaged or deli (FDC 168092, SR Legacy, Sausages and Luncheon Meats): cholesterol 67 mg per 100 g = 22% DV; sodium 1038 mg = 45% DV; protein 19.6 g = 39% DV; selenium 37 mcg = 67% DV; phosphorus 304 mg = 24% DV; Foundation samples 0, CoFID match none
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC 168092 Ham, turkey, sliced, extra lean, prepackaged or deli · checked 2026-10-02
2. tkh-r5-09 · federal regulation
   Turkey Ham shall be fabricated from boneless, turkey thigh meat with skin and the surface fat attached to the skin removed.
   9 CFR 381.171, Definition and standard for Turkey Ham · checked 2026-10-02
3. tkh-r5-02 · USDA FNDDS, dataset
   Turkey ham, prepackaged or deli, luncheon meat (FNDDS 25230800, FDC 2706217, WWEIA Cold cuts and cured meats): 1 slice, NFS 28 g; Guideline amount on regular sandwich 56 g; Guideline amount on large sandwich 84 g; Quantity not specified 56 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, food code 25230800, FDC 2706217 Turkey ham, prepackaged or deli, luncheon meat · checked 2026-10-02
4. tkh-r5-04 · RCT
   In a 6-week clinical trial, 102 men (mean age 38 years, range 21-61) were randomized to either the MEAT group, consuming 760 g/week of RPM (25% of total protein intake (TPI)) or the LEGUME group, consuming 200 g/week of RPM corresponding to the maximum of the Planetary Health Diet (5% of TPI) along with legume-based foods containing protein equivalent to 560 g/week of red meat (20% of TPI). ... The LEGUME group had lower vitamin B12 status (holotranscobalamin, P = 0.022), iodine status (24-h urinary iodine excretion, P = 0.041), total and LDL cholesterol (both P < 0.001), and BMI and weight (both P = 0.009).
   Eur J Nutr, 2025 · checked 2026-10-02
5. tkh-r5-05 · randomized crossover trial
   We leveraged samples from Mycomeat, an investigator-blind randomised crossover controlled trial in metabolically healthy male adults (n = 20), randomised to consume 240 g/day of red and processed meat for 14 days followed by mycoprotein, or vice versa. ... 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 2026-10-02
6. tkh-r5-08 · 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 2026-10-02
7. tkh-r5-06 · RCT, biomarker outcomes
   A total of 113 healthy adults (18-50 years) were randomized, and 103 completed the study. ... FW genotoxicity increased significantly after MBD (+ 15.97%DNA damage; 95% CI 4.61 to 27.32; p = 0.006), with no significant within-group changes in MBD-T or PVD.
   Sci Rep, 2025 · checked 2026-10-02
8. tkh-r5-07 · review of cohort meta-analyses
   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. 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 2026-10-02
9. tkh-r5-10 · agency guidance
   Processed meat refers to meat that has been transformed through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking or other processes to enhance flavour or improve preservation. Examples of processed meat include hot dogs (frankfurters), ham, sausages, corned beef and biltong or beef jerky, as well as canned meat and meat-based preparations and sauces.
   World Health Organization, Cancer: carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat, Q&A · checked 2026-10-02
10. tkh-r5-03 · meta-analysis of RCTs
    A total of 124 RCTs were identified, and 8 studies involving 406 subjects met the prespecified entry criteria and were included in the analysis. ... Changes in the fasting lipid profile were not significantly different with beef consumption compared with those with poultry and/or fish consumption.
    J Clin Lipidol, 2012 · checked 2026-10-02