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Skipping bacon and sausages for kippers could slash your chances of dying young, a study suggests. Eating more oily fish like herring and anchovies instead of red meat could prevent 750,000 deaths by 2050, Japanese researchers found.

Red and processed meats raise the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and bowel cancer, whereas oily fish can help reduce it, they said. Dr Shujuan Xia, of the National Institute for Environmental Studies, said the switch could be even more beneficial than simply eating less red meat.

He said: "Forage fish as an alternative to red meat could double or more the number of deaths that could be avoided by simply reducing red meat consumption. Our analysis suggests that forage fish is a promising alternative to red meat."

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He added: "Policies targeting the allocation of forage fish to regions where they are needed could be more effective in maximising the potential of forage fish to reduce the burden of disease."

Heart disease killed 39,000 people in England last year, while bowel cancer claims around 16,000 lives annually.

Previous research has shown regularly eating red or processed meat can increase the risk of developing both diseases.

Forage fish include anchovies, sardines and herring - kippers when smoked. The oily fish are brimming with beneficial omega-3s, which have been proven to lower the risk factors for heart disease and increase survival rates for bowel cancer.

A recent study, published in BMJ Global Health, examined the potential impact on global mortality rates if people swapped red and processed meats for fish.

The researchers analysed projected data for red meat consumption in 2050 across 137 countries, as well as historical data on forage fish catch.

Their modelling suggested that replacing more red meat with fish could "potentially offer substantial public health benefits".

Dr Xia stated: "Although forage fish are not sufficient to replace all red meat, forage fish alone may increase daily consumption of fish to close to the recommended level."