Red, processed meat may double breast cancer risk - study

In a study of 35,372 women aged 35 to 69, it was found that high meat intake, particularly red meat and processed meats, was associated with a significant increase in the risk of breast cancer amongst pre- and post-menopausal women.

The UK Women's Cohort Study (UKWCS) assessed dietary intakes of the women using a self-administered 217-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Over a mean follow-up of eight years, 395 cases of breast cancer were diagnosed in post-menopausal women and 283 cases in pre-menopausal women.

The study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, reports that the associations between red meat and processed meat intake was most striking for post-menopausal women, with highest intake of red meat (greater than 57 grams per day) at a 56 per cent increased risk of breast cancer, and highest intake of processed meat (more than 20 grams per day of meat such as bacon, sausages, ham or pies) associated with a 64 per cent greater risk of breast cancer, compared to those who ate none.

Pre-menopausal women with a daily intake of more than 20 grams per day of processed meat were associated with a 20 per cent increase in breast cancer risk.

Steve - this was study was performed using food frequency questionnaires, so it must be taken with some degree of skepticism. However, the increases risk rates are alarmingly high.