Meat Shown to Increase Breast Cancer Risk

According to a study consuming red meat may increase a woman's risk for breast cancer. The study found women who ate more than one and a half servings of red meat daily had nearly two times the risk of developing hormone related breast cancer. Those women who ate only 3 servings of meat a week or less had a much lower rate. The study was published in Monday's issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

Those who ate considerably more processed red meat showed the greatest increase in breast cancer rate. The processed meats included sausage and hamburger. The study focused on pre-menopausal women and the effect their diet played on breast cancer. Seventy-percent of breast cancers are "hormone receptor positive". These types of cancers are caused by the natural female hormones oestrogen and progesterone. Normally, the hormones are responsible for normal body function although they are also responsible for causing the majority of breast cancers.

The study tracked women's diets over a two decade period and focused on survey rather than experimentation. The type of breat cancer involved with the study was only those that were hormone driven and not types formed for some other reason. Those who consumed extra meat were also more likely to smoke and be overweight, but with these factors incorporated meat eaters still had a greater risk of the cancer.

The exact reason for the proposed link is unknown although it is believed to be related to the high fat content of red meat and improper portioning. The Harvard professor who led the study, Eunyoung Cho, said that there were several different potential reasons for the increased cancer risk. The risks are numerous, although the most plausible include our use of hormones on cattle to increase the rate of growth, cancer causing byproducts formed when the meat is cooked at high temperatures, and the presence of iron in red meat, particularly processed meat.

The rate of breast cancer increased by 97 percent when a women consumed an average ammount of one and a half servings of red meat a day. The nearly 100 percent jump is likely the culmination of a number of factors. Eating processed meat frequently raised the number to 2.3 times more likely. The study may lead to reforms in our agriculture and cattle processing procedures since the number is so staggeringly high.