This type of meat could increase breast cancer risk, study says

Several foods have been linked with breast cancer. Now scientists are adding red meat to the list, according to a new report.

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Researchers from the National Institutes of Health recently conducted a study, published in the International Journal of Cancer, to explore the association between breast cancer and red and white meat.

To do so, they examined the health and diet data of 42,012 women. The team factored in age, physical activity, body mass index, and calorie consumption, and followed the participants for about seven years.

After analyzing the results, they found those who consumed the most red meat were 23% more likely to develop invasive cancer.

On the other hand, those who ate the most white meat were 15% less likely to get cancer.

"Here we show that eating white meat decreases your risk, and eating red meat increases it, by a small amount," senior author Dale Sandler told The New York Times. "If women reduced their consumption of red meat, it would reduce their risk for cancer."

Red meat has been previously linked with premature death.

Earlier this year, researchers from Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health said just half a serving per day of red meat was associated with a 10% increased risk in premature death.

Want to learn more about the latest study? Take a look here.

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