BOSTON, Oct 4: Consuming
processed meats such as
bacon, ham, sausages, salami
and beef jerky may increase
the risk of developing breast
cancer, researchers claim.
Studies on red and processed
meat consumption with
breast cancer risk have generated
inconsistent results,
said researchers at Harvard
TH Chan School of Public
Health in the US.
An analysis published in the
international Journal of Cancer
has now examined all published
studies on the topic.
Comparing the highest to the
lowest category in the 15 studies
included in the analysis,
processed meat consumption
was associated with a nine per
cent higher breast cancer risk.
“Previous works linked increased
risk of some types of
cancer to higher processed
meat intake, and this recent
meta-analysis suggests that
processed meat consumption
may also increase breast cancer
risk,” said Maryam Farvid
from the Harvard TH Chan
School of Public Health.
“Therefore, cutting down
processed meat seems beneficial
for the prevention of breast
cancer,” Farvid said.
The researchers did not observe
a significant association
between red (unprocessed)
meat intake and risk of breast
cancer.
Two studies evaluated the
association between red meat
and breast cancer stratified by
patients’ genotypes regarding
N-acetyltransferase 2 acetylator.
Differences in activity of this
enzyme are thought to modify
the carcinogenic effect of meat.
The researchers did not observe
any association among
patients with either fast or
slow N-acetyltransferase 2
acetylators. – PTI
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