A higher consumption of processed meat—such as bacon, sausage and salami—is associated with a higher risk of breast cancer, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis of research published in the International Journal of Cancer.
The authored noted that the impact processed meat has on a woman’s risk of breast cancer has been researched before, but results have been “inconsistent.” This led to their decision to conduct an updated meta-analysis, which included 13 cohort studies, three nested case-control studies and two clinical trial studies.
Overall, the team found that processed meat consumption was associated with a 9 percent higher breast cancer risk.
“This systematic review and meta‐analysis study reports significant positive associations between processed meat consumption with risk of breast cancer,” wrote co-author Maryam S. Farvid, PhD, department of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, and colleagues. “When considering menopausal status, similar risk estimates were observed for association between processed meat and breast cancer risk before and after menopause, however, this association was not significant among premenopausal women. These associations were independent of traditional breast cancer risk factors.”
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