Can Red Meat Increase Cancer Risk?
Because breast cancer affects more women worldwide than any other cancer, many women are interested in finding ways to reduce their breast cancer risk. One way to lower your risk of developing cancer is to clean up your diet, emphasizing vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes. Based on recent research, another diet modification may also reduce your cancer risk — choosing white meat over red meat.
A study published in the International Journal of Cancer followed the diet and health practices of more than 40,000 women over seven years, and found that women who ate the most red meat (beef, veal, pork, lamb and game) were 23% more likely to develop invasive cancer. Those who consumed the most white meat (chicken, turkey, Cornish hens, duck, goose, quail and pheasant) were 15% less likely to develop cancer.
Of the study, senior author, Dale P. Sandler, said to the New York Times, “Here we show that eating white meat decreases your risk, and eating red meat increases it, by a small amount. If women reduced their consumption of red meat, it would reduce their risk for cancer.”
If you’re looking to clean up your diet, reducing the amount of red meat you eat is a great way to start. When possible, try choosing white meat over red meat and begin to lower your cancer risk and improve your overall health.
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