Meat-Eating and Breast Cancer

Robert W. Griffith, MD

Only a week or two ago we reported that vegetarians are smarter. Now there's an example of a possible pay-off. A study done in the UK has shown that eating red meat increases a woman's chance of developing breast cancer. The British Journal of Cancer carries a report of this study, which involved more than 35,000 women over a 7 year period. Their eating habits and health were followed by the University of Leeds Nutritional Epidemiology Group.

Post-menopausal women with a high consumption of meat (over 57 grams, or one portion a day) ran a 56% greater risk of breast cancer than those who ate no meat. Processed meat (bacon, sausages, ham) was 'stronger' in this respect - the risk was 64% greater. In pre-menopausal women, the risk associated with meat-eating was non-significant.

An earlier US study from Harvard found a similar association, and suggested that 'further research is necessary to confirm the finding'. Well, here's the confirmation. We should all keep our meat consumption within bounds, even if we aren't prepared to 'go veg'.

Source
HealthandAge Blog

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