Red meat increases breast cancer risk

Increased breast cancer risk from sausage and steak

06/12/2014

Summer time is barbecue time. But steaks and sausages for women are associated with an unforeseen risk. Because the likelihood of breast cancer increases with the intake of red meat, according to a recent study by the research team to Maryam Farvid of the Harvard School of Public Health. The long-term study was published in the „British Medical Journal“ (BMJ).

For their study, the researchers used the data from 88,803 women between the ages of 24 and 43 from the „Nurses Health Study II“. In 1991, the participants completed a questionnaire on their diet for the first time. In 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007, the survey was repeated to assess possible changes in eating habits. In the 20-year study period, 2,830 breast cancer cases were documented. The US scientists were now looking for possible „Relationships between dietary protein sources in early adulthood and the risk of breast cancer.“

Breast cancer risk increased by 22 percent
In their analysis, the researchers identified red meat (beef, pork, pure lamb or processed) as a major risk factor for breast cancer. Overall, high consumption of red meat was associated with a 22 percent increase in breast cancer risk in women, Maryam Farvid and colleagues report. To exclude possible bias, researchers also considered other breast cancer risk factors, such as „Age, height, weight, breast cancer in the family, smoking, age at first birth, menopausal status and postmenopausal hormone use.“ Nevertheless, it was clear that red meat was a significant risk factor. For other protein sources, such as poultry, fish, eggs, legumes and nuts, no comparable association has been found with breast cancer risk.

Avoiding red meat lowers the risk
On the basis of the data obtained, the scientists also provide an estimate of the effects of an exchange of different protein sources. In doing so, they come to the conclusion that a substitute of red meat with exclusively legumes with one um „15 percent lower risk of breast cancer in all women and a 19 percent lower risk of premenopausal women.“ If women were to consume exclusively poultry, they could even expect a 17 percent reduction in breast cancer risk for all women and a 24 percent reduction in postmenopausal breast cancer risk.

Diet in young adolescents crucial
A combination of legumes, nuts, poultry and fish was associated with a 14 percent lower likelihood of breast cancer in all women, according to the researchers. Farvid and colleagues come to the conclusion that one „High red meat consumption in early adulthood is a risk factor for breast cancer, and replacing red meat with a combination of legumes, poultry, nuts and fish can significantly reduce the risk of breast cancer.“ According to the scientists, the observed effects are explicitly applicable to nutrition in young adulthood, which may also explain why studies that especially consider eating habits in middle-aged adults come to different conclusions. (Fp)