Breast Cancer Risk Increases with the More Red Meat You Eat in Early Adulthood

Although previous studies have suggested that there's no significant association between red meat and breast cancer, a new study may show otherwise--at least when it comes to early adulthood. Researchers have investigated the association between dietary protein sources in early adulthood and the risk of breast cancer.

The researchers analyzed data from 88,803 premenopausal women between the ages of 26 and 45. More specifically, they looked at the amount of protein these women consumed and what type it was. Red meat included beef, pork, lamb and hamburger; processed red meat included hot dogs, bacon and sausage; and then poultry included chicken and turkey, fish included tuna, salmon, mackerel, and sardines; and legumes included beans, lentils and peas.

The researchers took other risk factors into account, such as age, height, weight and family history of breast cancer. In the end, the scientists found 2,830 incidents of breast cancer during 20 years of follow-up. Then, the scientists put this real life data into a statistical model to allow them to estimate breast cancer risks for women with different diets.

So what did the scientists find? It turns out that higher intake of red meat was associated with a 22 percent increased risk of breast cancer overall. In addition, each additional serving per day of red meat was associated with a 13 percent increase in risk of breast cancer.

In contrast, there was a lower risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women who consumed more poultry. In fact, substituting one serving per day for one of red meat was associated with a 17 percent lower risk of breast cancer overall.

The findings reveal that higher red meat intake during early adulthood may be a risk factor for breast cancer. The research shows the importance of a healthy diet which could potentially reduce this risk, especially for those already suffering from other risk factors. That said, more study is needed before any firm conclusions are drawn.

The findings are published in the journal BMJ.