"Red Meat Linked to Breast Cancer"

halvhalv Posts: 701
edited November 2006 in A Moving Train
WASHINGTON - Younger women who eat red meat regularly appear to face an increased risk for a common form of breast cancer, according to a large Harvard study of women's health.

The study of more than 90,000 women found the more red meat the women consumed when they were in their 20s, 30s and 40s the greater their risk for getting breast cancer fueled by hormones in the next 12 years. Those who consumed the most red meat faced nearly twice the risk of those who ate red meat infrequently.

The study, published Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine, is the first to examine the relationship between red meat consumption and breast cancer in premenopausal women, and the first to examine the question by kind of breast cancer.

Although more research is needed to confirm the association and explore the possible reasons for a link, researchers said the findings provide another motivation to limit consumption of red meat, which already is known to increase the risk for colon cancer.

``There are already other reasons to minimize red meat intake,'' said Eunyoung Cho, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, who led the study. ``This just may give women another good reason.''

Cho added that the findings could be particularly important because the breast cancer the study found associated with red meat consumption has been increasing.

Breast cancer strikes nearly 213,000 U.S. women each year and kills nearly 41,000, making it the most common cancer.

The reason why red meat might increase the risk for breast cancer remains unknown, but previous research has suggested several possible reasons: Substances produced by cooking meat may be carcinogenic; naturally occurring substances in meat may mimic the action of hormones; or hormones farmers feed cows to make them grow bigger could fuel breast cancer in women who consume meat from the animals.

In the study, Cho and her colleagues analyzed data collected from 90,659 female nurses ages 26 to 46 who are participating in the Nurses' Health Study II, a long-term project examining a host of women's health issues. As part of the study, researchers gathered detailed information about their diets every four years.

When the researchers analyzed whether red meat consumption was associated with an increased risk for breast cancer between 1991 and 2003, they found no overall link. But when they examined the 512 women who developed breast cancer whose growth is fueled by the hormones estrogen and progesterone, they found an association.

The risk increased with the amount of red meat consumed, with those who ate more than 1 1/2 servings a day having nearly double the risk for the so-called hormone-receptor positive breast cancer compared to those who ate three or fewer servings a week. A serving is roughly equivalent to a single hamburger or hot dog.

Other researchers praised the study for being well conducted, but said more research is needed to confirm and explore the findings.
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • jlew24asujlew24asu Posts: 10,118
    good info thanks for posting. but what exactly is red meat ? steak cooked medium/rare? just trying to be sure.
  • halvhalv Posts: 701
    jlew24asu wrote:
    good info thanks for posting. but what exactly is red meat ? steak cooked medium/rare? just trying to be sure.

    Red meat is any meat product from a cow. I believe some exotic meats like ostrich are red meat as well. I'm not sure if pork is considered red meat though. But anything from a cow, deer, buffalo, etc is.
  • jlew24asujlew24asu Posts: 10,118
    halv wrote:
    Red meat is any meat product from a cow. I believe some exotic meats like ostrich are red meat as well. I'm not sure if pork is considered red meat though. But anything from a cow, deer, buffalo, etc is.


    ok cool thats what I thought. thanks
  • this is why i mostly cut out red meat a few years ago.
    I'll dig a tunnel
    from my window to yours
  • worldworld Posts: 266
    Can men get breast cancer? Because I love red meat, but most the meat I buy is from Whole Foods. So, it doesnt have the added crap to it.

    Also, doesnt everything cause cancer? Im not being funny. I heard that your body fights off cancer every day. That about everything you breath, eat, and touch gives you cancer.
    Chicago '98, Noblesville '00, East Troy '00, Chicago '00, Champaign '03, Chicago '03, Chicago1 '06, Chicago2 '06, Milwaukee '06, Chicago1 '09, and Chicago2 '09
  • prismprism Posts: 2,440
    world wrote:
    Can men get breast cancer? Because I love red meat, but most the meat I buy is from Whole Foods. So, it doesnt have the added crap to it.

    Also, doesnt everything cause cancer? Im not being funny. I heard that your body fights off cancer every day. That about everything you breath, eat, and touch gives you cancer.

    it's not just the hormones added to red meat that's believed to cause this increased risk.


    and yes, men can indeed get breast cancer:

    http://imaginis.com/breasthealth/bcmen2.asp#risk
    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    angels share laughter
    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
  • JaneNYJaneNY Posts: 4,438
    world wrote:

    Also, doesnt everything cause cancer? Im not being funny. I heard that your body fights off cancer every day. That about everything you breath, eat, and touch gives you cancer.

    There are many carcinogens in the world, and yes I've also heard that our bodies fight cancer every day. I guess to me, that's a really good reason to try to live as healthily as possible and give the body the most ammunition for the fight. I haven't eaten red meat in some years now, and I guess this is another reason to be glald of it.
    R.i.p. Rigoberto Alpizar.
    R.i.p. My Dad - May 28, 2007
    R.i.p. Black Tail (cat) - Sept. 20, 2008
  • worldworld Posts: 266
    I did a little research and we do get cancer everyday. Cancer is simply a temporoary malfunction in your normal cell division process. In our bodies all day every day are lots of "free radicals." These little rascals are molecules which have one unpaired oxygen electron in their atomic makeup. They are produced by our digestive system, the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink and so on. In other words, we can't avoid them.

    These "free radicals" bounce around, bumping into normal cells, and, in the process, damaging the normal cells DNA. Fortunately, our cell division policing process recognizes these "incorrect" cell divisions and kills them off, most of the time. Its when these incorrect malfunctioning cancer cells build up and our body cant kill them off is when we get sick and possibly die.

    So, red meat causes cancer, along with fish, pasta, soda, water, oxygen, wheat, potatoes, videogames, sports, TV, listening to Pearl Jam, and dancing.
    Chicago '98, Noblesville '00, East Troy '00, Chicago '00, Champaign '03, Chicago '03, Chicago1 '06, Chicago2 '06, Milwaukee '06, Chicago1 '09, and Chicago2 '09
  • I think that cancer has been linked to almost everything these days. There is so much shit out there, but if you try to prevent it all you will go nuts. I am a strong advocate for taking care of your body. But you can't go to extremes, do things in moderation.
    Oh he fills it up with the love of a girl...
  • catefrancescatefrances Posts: 29,003
    yet another reason for my smart choice. :)
    hear my name
    take a good look
    this could be the day
    hold my hand
    lie beside me
    i just need to say
  • worldworld Posts: 266
    But, steak is soooooooo goooood. Here in Chicago we have some crazy good steak houses. Mortons, Gibsons, Ruth's Chris, Fogo de Chao, Gene and Georgetti's, Chicago Chop House, and Wildfire. Its impossible to give up a perfect corn-fed USDA top 2% Prime dry-aged Steak.
    Chicago '98, Noblesville '00, East Troy '00, Chicago '00, Champaign '03, Chicago '03, Chicago1 '06, Chicago2 '06, Milwaukee '06, Chicago1 '09, and Chicago2 '09
  • catefrancescatefrances Posts: 29,003
    my question is: where are all the boy dairy cows? are they beef cattle? and are all female beef cattle dairy cows? or does the beef humans eat all come from the male?

    ps. i know the answer to the first question.:)
    hear my name
    take a good look
    this could be the day
    hold my hand
    lie beside me
    i just need to say
  • prismprism Posts: 2,440
    world wrote:
    But, steak is soooooooo goooood. Here in Chicago we have some crazy good steak houses. Mortons, Gibsons, Ruth's Chris, Fogo de Chao, Gene and Georgetti's, Chicago Chop House, and Wildfire. Its impossible to give up a perfect corn-fed USDA top 2% Prime dry-aged Steak.


    how is it impossible? i gave up eating meat years ago. i don't miss it one bit
    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    angels share laughter
    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
  • Thorns2010Thorns2010 Posts: 2,201
    halv wrote:
    Red meat is any meat product from a cow. I believe some exotic meats like ostrich are red meat as well. I'm not sure if pork is considered red meat though. But anything from a cow, deer, buffalo, etc is.

    Pork is called a white meat.
  • spongersponger Posts: 3,159
    Pork is red meat.
  • prismprism Posts: 2,440
    Thorns2010 wrote:
    Pork is called a white meat.


    that was an advertising slogan from the 80's.



    from wikipedia: Because of its high myoglobin content, pork is red before cooking, although it becomes lighter as it is cooked. According to the USDA, pork is considered a red meat, because it contains more myoglobin than white meat such as fish and chicken[2]. Pork is very high in thiamin.

    Despite the traditional definition of pork as a red meat, in 1987 the National Pork Board in the US began an advertising campaign to position pork as "the other white meat" due to a public perception of chicken and turkey (white meat) as more healthful than red meat. The campaign was highly successful and resulted in 87% of consumers identifying pork with the slogan. As of 2005, the slogan is still used in marketing pork today, with some variations[3].

    The consumption of raw or undercooked pork may lead to Trichinosis, though this is rare in the developed world.
    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    angels share laughter
    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
  • JaneNYJaneNY Posts: 4,438
    world wrote:
    I did a little research and we do get cancer everyday. Cancer is simply a temporoary malfunction in your normal cell division process. In our bodies all day every day are lots of "free radicals." These little rascals are molecules which have one unpaired oxygen electron in their atomic makeup. They are produced by our digestive system, the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink and so on. In other words, we can't avoid them.

    These "free radicals" bounce around, bumping into normal cells, and, in the process, damaging the normal cells DNA. Fortunately, our cell division policing process recognizes these "incorrect" cell divisions and kills them off, most of the time. Its when these incorrect malfunctioning cancer cells build up and our body cant kill them off is when we get sick and possibly die.

    But there are things you can eat that counteract free radicals. Foods that contain anti-oxidants counteract the effect of free radicals, such as green tea, (and coffee, and regular tea),and most fruits and vegetables. Cancer is more likely to take hold when the free radicals are more than the body can handle so you want to give it the best fighting chance possible by having healthy habits.
    R.i.p. Rigoberto Alpizar.
    R.i.p. My Dad - May 28, 2007
    R.i.p. Black Tail (cat) - Sept. 20, 2008
  • stuckinlinestuckinline Posts: 3,368
    yet another reason to stop eating red meat:

    There are a lot of negative effects associated with the consumption of red meat, and this is why more and more people are now giving up red meat and moving to healthier foods like fish, free-range chicken, or better yet, plant-based proteins like spirulina or soy products like soy milk and tofu. This is where you'll get your best protective effect and disease prevention, and you will be helping protect the environment at the same time. After all, it's far less stressful on the environment to produce food as plants than as animals.



    It takes 10 acres to produce the same amount of red meat protein as it does to produce one acre of soy beans. And producing spirulina yields a tenfold increase over the production of soybeans. So think about it: one acre of farmland used to produce spirulina can produce 100 times as much protein as beef and red meat. That will be very important to realize as our world population grows and it becomes increasingly difficult to produce the protein required by the population.



    http://www.meatfactor.org/
  • catefrancescatefrances Posts: 29,003
    sponger wrote:
    Pork is red meat.

    score again!!
    no pork in my diet.

    man i am gonna live forever. :D
    hear my name
    take a good look
    this could be the day
    hold my hand
    lie beside me
    i just need to say
  • worldworld Posts: 266
    "lalalalalalala" *sticking fingers in my ears*

    I still want to eat red meat.
    Chicago '98, Noblesville '00, East Troy '00, Chicago '00, Champaign '03, Chicago '03, Chicago1 '06, Chicago2 '06, Milwaukee '06, Chicago1 '09, and Chicago2 '09
  • miller8966miller8966 Posts: 1,450
    Im a firm believer in "moderation". If you eat meat on occasion its really not that bad for you.
    America...the greatest Country in the world.
  • my question is: where are all the boy dairy cows? are they beef cattle? and are all female beef cattle dairy cows? or does the beef humans eat all come from the male?

    ps. i know the answer to the first question.:)

    If I'm not mistaken most of the beef we eat comes from exclusively cows (which are by deafult female, males are bulls). "Beef cows" are different breeds than "Dairy cows". The latter are permitted to live long and its sole "purpose in life" is to get milked. Bulls, on the other hand, are never eaten, they are used as stallions for breeding.

    I know this 'cause one of my country's lagest exports is read meat. And apparently Argentina's red meat has a relatively low fat content.

    Personally I eat meat like once a week or even less. However, here in Argentina doctors recommend not to totally ban meat from your diet, according to my doctor I'm at fault with my red meat consumption. Actually when women get pregnant they recommend to increase red meat ingestion to two/three times par week.

    Peace
    Caterina
Sign In or Register to comment.