Meat Intake Not Linked With Postmenopausal Breast Cancer

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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) May 25 - A large prospective study has found no link between consumption of meat and postmenopausal breast cancer risk.
As part of the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study, 120,755 postmenopausal women completed a food frequency questionnaire at baseline (1995 to 1996) and a detailed meat-cooking module within 6 months after enrollment. Over the next 8 years, 3818 cases of breast cancer were identified.
In the May 15th issue of the International Journal of Cancer, Dr. Geoffrey C. Kabat of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, and colleagues report that after adjustment for covariates, breast cancer risk was not associated with intake of either total meat, red meat, white meat, or processed meat. Furthermore, indicators of mutagenic activity in meat, high-temperature cooking methods and level of doneness did not affect risk of breast cancer.
The researchers note that the study included detailed information on meat preparation methods, and they conclude that their findings "do not support the hypothesis that a high intake of meat, red meat, processed meat, meat cooked at high temperatures, or meat mutagens is associated with increased risk of breast cancer."
Int J Cancer 2009;124:2430-2435.

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