Beneficial Effects of Pork Bioactive Peptides on Cardiovascular Health in Humans

A two-arm cross-over clinical study with a diet control will be assessed at the Catholic University of Murcia (UCAM).

A recruitment of 50 volunteers will be attempted in order to fulfil the UCC calculations. The 50 patients will be divided into two groups (25 vs 25). One group will receive dry-cured pork ham of >10 months proteolysis (intervention product) while the other will receive cooked, uncured ham (control product), each for one month. After two weeks wash out, the groups will be exchanged for one additional month. In this way, each group will take cooked ham and dry-cured pork ham for 28 days each arm.

Pork hams Two pork hams from the same raw meat will be used in the present study: dry-cured pork ham with >10 months dry-curing process as the intervention product and cooked, uncured ham as the control product. Both products will be purchased in vacuum bags and labelled with safety information (expiration date, nutritional composition and storage information).

Dry-cured ham with reduced salt will be used in order to decrease the sodium intake that could affect BP too. Such ham contains 25% lower salt than similar products on the market (3,7g vs 4,5g/100g) (see leaflet of a possible ham enclosed).

Dry-cured ham (80g) will be taken daily by the volunteers (50% humidity); BP will be measured as follows. In order to counteract the higher water contain (70% humidity), a higher amount of cooked ham will be given to the control groups (100g). Besides, cooked ham contains 2.5g salt/100g which is in relation with the 2,96g salt/80g reduced salt dry-cured ham. A restriction list food will be also given to the volunteers in order to control salt intake.