Background Cured meat intake—a recent carcinogenic factor—may increase the risk of COPD, but its association with asthma remains unknown. Though body mass index (BMI) is a likely risk factor for asthma, its role in the diet–asthma association as a mediator has never been studied. We investigated the association between cured meat intake and worsening asthma symptoms in adults, and the role of BMI as a potential mediator. Methods Using data from the French prospective EGEA study (baseline: 2003–2007; follow-up: 2011–2013), we applied a mediation analysis in the counterfactual framework, a ma...