Red meat linked to breast cancer
Eating a lot of red meat in early adult life may slightly increase
the risk of breast cancer, according to a US study.
Harvard researchers say replacing red meat with a combination of
beans, peas and lentils, poultry, nuts, and fish may reduce the risk in
younger women.
But UK experts urge caution, saying other studies have shown no clear
link between red meat and breast cancer.Past research has shown that
eating a lot of red and processed meat probably increases the risk of
bowel cancer.The new data comes from a US study tracking the health of
89,000 women aged 24 to 43.A team, led by Harvard School of Public
Health in Boston, analysed the diets of almost 3,000 women who developed
breast cancer.Higher red meat intake in early adulthood may be a risk
factor for breast cancer," they report in the British Medical
Journal.And replacing red meat with a combination of legumes, poultry,
nuts and fish may reduce the risk of breast cancer.Dr Maryam Farvid and
colleagues described the risk as "small".Prof Tim Key, an epidemiologist
at the University of Oxford, said the US study found "only a weak link"
between eating red meat and breast cancer, which was "not strong enough
to change the existing evidence that has found no definite link between
the two".
"Women can reduce their risk of breast cancer by maintaining a
healthy weight, drinking less alcohol and being physically active, and
it's not a bad idea to swap some red meat - which is linked to bowel
cancer for white meat, beans or fish," he added.Prof Valerie Beral,
director of the Cancer Epidemiology Unit at the University of Oxford,
said dozens of studies had looked at breast cancer risk associated with
diet.
"The totality of the available evidence indicates that red meat
consumption has little or no effect on breast cancer risk, so results
from a single study cannot be considered in isolation," she said.Sally
Greenbrook of Breakthrough Breast Cancer said the charity would welcome
more research into the impact of red meat on breast cancer risk.It's
already been proven that women can reduce their breast cancer risk by
maintaining a healthy weight, reducing alcohol consumption and
increasing the amount of physical activity they do," she said.Jackie
Harris, a clinical nurse specialist at Breast Cancer Care, said: "This
study is interesting because it looks at young women's eating habits and
supports the growing body of evidence of the importance of eating a well
balanced diet.
Doing exercise and keeping a healthy body weight can also help reduce
your risk of breast cancer.
However it is important to remember that it can't prevent it
completely.Being female, increasing age and having a significant family
history are the three main risk factors for developing breast
cancer.Evidence has shown that there is probably a link between eating
lots of red and processed meat, and the risk of bowel cancer.
-BBC
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