Meat consumption and risk of breast cancer in the UK Women's Cohort Study

Abstract

We performed a survival analysis to assess the effect of meat consumption and meat type on the risk of breast cancer in the UK Women's Cohort Study. Between 1995 and 1998 a cohort of 35 372 women was recruited, aged between 35 and 69 years with a wide range of dietary intakes, assessed by a 217-item food frequency questionnaire. Hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated using Cox regression adjusted for known confounders. High consumption of total meat compared with none was associated with premenopausal breast cancer, HR ¼ 1.20 (95% CI: 0.86 -1.68), and high non-processed meat intake compared with none, HR ¼ 1.20 (95% CI: 0.86 -1.68). Larger effect sizes were found in postmenopausal women for all meat types, with significant associations with total, processed and red meat consumption. Processed meat showed the strongest HR ¼ 1.64 (95% CI: 1.14 -2.37) for high consumption compared with none. Women, both pre-and postmenopausal, who consumed the most meat had the highest risk of breast cancer.

Meat consumption and breast cancer: A case–control study in women

“…In an analysis of the UK Women's Cohort Study (UKWCS) including 35,372 women, positive associations between postmenopausal breast cancer and total, processed and red meat consumption were found. Specifically for processed meat intake, it was positively associated with postmenopausal breast cancer when treated as a categorical variable, however, fitting processed meat in the model as a continuous predictor, resulted in a much stronger relationship, giving a relative risk per 50 g/day of 1.64 (95% CI 1.09, 2.27, p trend = 0.003) (Taylor et al, 2007). Moreover, in the Nurses' Health Study II, except from red meat, the individual red meat items (i.e., beef or lamb as a main dish, pork as a main dish, beef, pork or lamb as a sandwich or mixed dish, hamburger, bacon, hot dogs and other processed meats like sausage, salami or bologna) were also examined in relation to overall breast cancer risk and by receptor status.…”

“…However, the relationship between meat consumption and breast cancer remains not well understood and appreciated, since the current data lack definitive evidence. In a recent large cohort study investigating diet and cancer in women in the United Kingdom (UK Women's Cohort Study), increased consumption of total and non-processed meat was associated with significant increased risk of premenopausal breast cancer incidence and positive associations between postmenopausal breast cancer and total, processed and red meat consumption were found, as well (Taylor, Burley, Greenwood, & Cade, 2007). In contrast, in a recent meta-analysis of red and processed meat consumption and breast cancer where the researchers were able to meta-analyze data on over 25,000 cases of breast cancer, overall observed weak positive summary associations, with the majority being non-statistically significant (Alexander, Morimoto, Mink, & Cushing, 2010).…”

Is red meat intake a risk factor for breast cancer among premenopausal women?

“…The investigators here documented an association between meat consumption and breast cancer with a RR of 1.27(0.72-1.22) [40]. A recent study examining the link between red meat and breast cancer involved the UK Women's Cohort, a cohort of over 35,000 women [41]. This study found that a high consumption of red meat was associated with premenopausal breast cancer.…”

Antioxidative Potency and UV–Vis spectra features of the compounds resulting from the chelation of Fe2+ by Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester and two of its derivatives

“…There are several ways that can limit the damaging effects of excessive iron in the human body; the most obvious is to monitor how much iron one ingests. Experts [5][6][7][8][9][10][11] typically recommend that older adults must limit their intake of red meat, which is our major natural dietary source of Fe(II). One approach that should be taken for trapping the Fe(II) or Fe(III) is to supplement with nutrients that can bind up or chelate the iron.…”