WEDNESDAY, Dec. 12 (HealthDay News) -- People who eat diets rich in red meat may be at an increased risk of developing cancers of the esophagus, liver, colorectum and lung, while those with a high processed meat intake may have a greater risk of colorectal and lung cancer, according to research published in PLOS Medicine in December.
Amanda J. Cross, Ph.D., of the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Md., and colleagues analyzed data from the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study to investigate the link between meat intake and cancer risk. The study included approximately 500,000 people aged 50-71. A food frequency questionnaire administered at baseline was used to assess meat intake.
Over a mean follow-up of 6.8 years, 53,396 incident cancers were diagnosed. Compared with individuals in the lowest quintile, individuals in the highest quintile of red meat intake had elevated risks of cancer of the esophagus (hazard ratio 1.51), colorectum (HR, 1.24), liver (HR, 1.61), lung (HR, 1.20). For processed meats, the highest versus lowest quintiles of intake revealed an elevated risk for cancers of the colorectum (HR, 1.20) and lung (HR, 1.16).
"A decrease in the consumption of red and processed meat could reduce the incidence of cancer at multiple sites," the authors conclude.
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