The expression "hot diggity dog" can be traced back to at least 1928. As singer Al Jolson wrapped up his recording of "There's a Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder," he can be heard saying, "Hot diggity dog didn't I tell you you'd love it?"
Americans love that hot dog, too, and not just at the ballpark. You spend $2.5 BILLION annually in supermarkets on the encased mystery meat!
But the health consequences of ingesting the processed and/or cured wiener are, well, not so hot. In 2015 the World Health Organization definitively linked eating 50 grams of processed meat a day to an 18 percent increase in colon cancer risk.
A study published in the journal Thorax found that cured meats literally can take your breath away! Researchers revealed that people with asthma who ate cured meat (bacon, salami, corned beef, pepperoni, pastrami and prosciutto treated with nitrites) at least four times weekly were 76 percent more likely to have worsening lung function over the length of the study, especially if they were overweight.
The problems may be from nitrites-preservatives that KO bacteria in cured meats but can cause inflammation and damage your body's cells-or other factors in processed meats. But one thing's for sure: If you want to hot-dog around the basketball court or down the slopes, you'll breathe easier if you dodge nitrate-laden dogs, say "no" to lunchmeats and opt for vegetable proteins like nuts and beans, and lean proteins like skinless poultry and salmon.
Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of "The Dr. Oz Show," and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into "The Dr. Oz Show" or visit www.sharecare.com.
(c) 2017 Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.