Breast Cancer Risk Linked to Red Meat for Young Women
Steaks, hamburgers, and other red meat could raise younger women's risk for an estrogen-linked form of breast cancer, says a report in Archives of Internal Medicine.
"Hormone receptor-positive" breast cancers are stimulated by higher levels of estrogen or progesterone circulating in the body,” says Dr. Eunyoung Cho, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. “A majority of breast cancers fall into this category. We found that higher red meat intake may be a risk factor for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer among premenopausal women.
"The majority of breast cancer is hormone receptor-positive, and the incidence of hormone receptor-positive tumors has been increasing in the United States," she adds.
Earlier studies have looked at the association between breast cancer and red meat but only among postmenopausal women and without distinguishing between types of breast cancer.
The results of these studies are largely inconclusive, notes Dr. Cho.
In the new study, Dr. Cho's team collected data on 90,659 female nurses ages 26 to 46 taking part in the ongoing Nurses Health Study II. The women were followed from 1991 through 2003.
The researchers excluded postmenopausal women and women who had had cancer. During follow-up, 1,021 women developed breast cancer. Of these cases, 512 were hormone receptor-positive cancers.
Dr. Cho's group found that women who had one-and-a-half servings of red meat a day had nearly double the risk for hormone receptor-positive cancer compared with women who ate less than three servings of red meat per week.
The researchers speculate that the increased risk may be linked to carcinogens found in cooked or processed red meat, hormone treatments used to spur growth in cattle, and the type of iron found in red meat.
"Prevention of other chronic diseases, including colon cancer, already provides a good reason for choosing a diet low in red meat," Dr. Cho says. "So, our findings provide another reason for women to reduce their red meat intake."
One expert believes more study is needed, however.
"This is the first study that has actually examined the association between breast cancer and the intake of red meat in premenopausal women by type of cancer," says Dr. Eugenia Calle, at the American Cancer Society. "But it's just one study.”
These results need to be replicated in other studies "before we can believe this association is true," notes Dr. Calle.
Other studies that have looked for a connection between red meat and breast cancer have not found a link, she notes.
Although these studies did not look specifically at receptor-positive breast cancer, this type of breast cancer makes up half of all cases.
"If there was something going on in that group, one would think that you would see a hint of it," explains Dr. Calle.
Despite these doubts, Dr. Calle agrees that there is an association between red meat and other cancers, such a colorectal cancer. So, she concurs with the dietary recommendations of the American Cancer Society to avoid red meat.
"We recommend that people limit their consumption of processed and red meat, and eat fruits and vegetables and unrefined grains," says Dr. Calle. "We recommend this diet for many reasons. Whether breast cancer will end up being one of those reasons - I'm not sure at this point."
Always consult your physician for more information.
|
Any woman may develop breast cancer. However, the following risk factors may increase the likelihood of developing the disease.
Risk factors that cannot be changed:
-
gender
Breast cancer occurs nearly 100 times more often in women than in men.
-
aging
A majority of cases occur after age 50.
-
personal history of breast cancer
-
previous breast irradiation
-
family history and genetic factors
Having a close relative, such as a mother or sister, with breast cancer increases the risk. This includes changes in certain genes such as BRCA1, BRCA2, and others.
-
benign breast disease
-
previous breast biopsy in which the tissue showed atypical hyperplasia
-
menstrual periods that began early in life
-
menopause that began later in life
The most frequently cited lifestyle-related risk factors:
-
smoking
-
not having children, or first child after age 30
-
obesity and a high-fat diet
-
physical inactivity
-
alcohol
-
long-term, post-menopausal use of combined estrogen and progestin (HRT)
-
weight gain and obesity after menopause
Exposure to pesticides, or other chemicals, is currently being examined as a possible risk factor.
Always consult your physician for more information.
|
