Breast cancer: replacing red meat with poultry can reduce risk | Life

NEW YORK, Aug. 8 – A new study suggests that eating red meat can increase the risk of breast cancer, while poultry can actually have a protective effect.

To arrive at the results described in The International Journal of Cancer, researchers at the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the US state of North Carolina collected data on the consumption of different types of meat and cooking techniques of 42,012 women over a period over seven years old.

During the study, 1,536 new cases of invasive breast cancer were diagnosed. Consuming more red meat was associated with an increased risk of invasive breast cancer: women consuming the highest amount of red meat were at 23% higher risk than women who consumed less.

On the other hand, the increase in poultry consumption was associated with a decrease in the risk of invasive breast cancer, reaching up to 1% in women who consumed it the most. The authors of the study also observed a decrease in the risk for women who replaced portions of red meat with poultry.

No link between cooking technique and cancer risk

These results have not changed, even when the analysis method took into account known risk factors for breast cancer (age, family history) or other criteria that could skew the results. , such as ethnicity, socio-economic status, physical activity and other dietary factors. In addition, no link between various cooking techniques and the risk of cancer has been observed.

"Red meat has been identified as a probable carcinogen. Our study adds further evidence that red meat consumption may be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, while poultry was associated with decreased risk, "said lead author Dale P. Sandler, PhD, from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

"Although the mechanism by which poultry consumption decreases the risk of breast cancer is unclear, our study shows that replacing poultry with red meat may be a simple change that may help reduce the risk of breast cancer. incidence of breast cancer, "he concluded. – AFP-Relaxnews