A small increase in the risk of breast cancer in women if they regularly eat processed meat, such as bacon and sausage, said a new study that used data from over one million women to analyze.
US researchers in their work published in the International Journal of Cancer have analyzed data from 15 previous studies and found that women who consume a lot of processed meat have a 9% increase in the risk of developing breast cancer compared to those who eat little.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has already stated that processed meat can be carcinogenic.
However, experts have cautioned about the findings of the study and pointed out that the real risk for some women is "very low", rather than projected to the general population - added the article on the BBC News website.
The study, based on data from over one million women in total, found a link between the consumption of processed meat and the development of breast cancer, but it was not able to clearly demonstrate whether cancer was actually caused by these meat. The study analyzed 15 previous researches, but differently defined what is considered to be excessive consumption of processed meat.
For example, in a British study, more than 9 grams of calculated daily, two to three slices of weekly toasted bacon, were considered to be more risky in other studies.
Analyzed research, based on the participants' remarks, recorded what they ate, and examined who developed breast cancer during subsequent follow-up. At the same time, the problem is that those who have consumed different amounts of processed meat may have other lifestyle differences that have caused their breast cancer.
In Britain, 14 out of every 100 women develop at some stage in their breast cancer. The 9 percent risk increase can also be translated into a further one case per 100 women.
Researchers stressed that cancer risk was caused by processed meat, and that no such relationship was found in the consumption of red meat. WHO classified red meat as "suspected carcinogenic".
Maryam Farvid, researcher at Harvard Medical University, the leading author of the study suggested reducing meat consumption in the light of the results, but did not advise it to leave the diet.
Currently, the recommended amount is not more than 70 grams of red meat per day.
Processed meat - bacon, sausage, hot dog, salami, ham, salted, dried, pickled beef - are made with different preservation methods. There are several theories about why they can raise cancer risk, one says the carrot can affect the protein in the meat, which makes it carcinogenic.
(Source: marmalade.co.uk; MTI | Picture: pixabay.com)