Breast Cancer Tied to Too Much Red Meat in Study

A study by Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School of Boston claims a connection between a diet filled with read meats and the possibility of developing a breast tumor for pre-menopause women.

The researchers followed over 90,000 women from 1989 to 2003 and reached the conclusion that eating one and a half portions of red meat daily might double the risk of contracting breast cancer.

Research Process: The participating women filled a detailed questionnaire, answering questions on their eating habits in 1991, 1995 and 1999. Every two years, the women reported whether or not they had developed a breast tumor. The reports were obviously backed by approved medics.

The scientists attempted to determine whether those who had developed breast cancer did so as a result of an estrogen or progesterone trigger.
All in all, 1,021 women developed breast cancer, of which 512 were estrogen and progesterone-receptor positive, 167 were estrogen and progesterone-receptor negative, 110 mixed, and 232 unknowns.

Various biological mechanism could explain the relation between red meat and hormone receptor-positive breast tumors. During the cooking process, cancerous substances are formed such as heterocyclic amines. Another explanation involves the growth hormone which is administered to animals destined for slaughter in the United States (this does not happen in the EU). Additionally, it is known that red meat is a source of iron heme (dictionary.com: The deep red, nonprotein, ferrous component of hemoglobin), which differs from non-heme iron in that it is more easily assimilated into the organism and has been already linked in previous studies to possible causes of breast cancer.

Lest we eliminate red meat from our diets altogether, Dr. Sarah Rawlings of the Breakthrough Breast Cancer center claims that little is known of the correlation between our diets and breast tumors, because we ingest such a wide variety of foods that it is very difficult to determine the exact effects of each of them.
Rawlings specifies that previous studies were unable to reach a conclusive analysis.
What is certain is that a varied and healthy diet could only be beneficial to our organism, and the principal causes of breast tumors remain the obvious- belonging to the female gender, and aging.

In conclusion, the study seems to be alarmist in nature. As always, moderation is the motto to live by, and an occasional steak cannot cause too much harm. Of course, that is only my unscientific opinion.