Meat Advisory Panel questions processed meat link with breast cancer

The panel, made up of scientists and researchers into the red meat sector, revealed that the latest series of studies only served to give rise to “alarmist headlines​” and believed consumers should not be put off by the review.

A number of researchers from the International Journal of Cancer​ revealed a link between a high consumption of processed meat and breast cancer in women.

Analysis from the journal showed that women who consumed a high amount of processed meats had a 9% higher breast cancer risk, while unprocessed meat increased the risk of breast cancer in women by 6%.

But Professor Robert Pickard from The Meat Advisory Panel told GlobalMeatNews​ that this was only an observational study and no single foodstuff was responsible for cancer.

“Consumers should not be put off by red meat and continue to enjoy it as part of a balanced diet​,” said Pickard. “It is likely to be a collection of factors, including lifestyle choices and genetics. Things like consumption of alcohol, smoking and lack of exercise add significantly greater risk to someone developing cancer than anything else​.”

The British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) echoed Pickard's views.

"We must be careful to understand the basis for these recent studies, many of which are observational and use different definitions of what is meant by a ‘high’ level of consumption," said a BMPA spokesperson. The majority don’t take into account other lifestyle factors, such as levels of exercise, that may also increase people’s risk of developing cancer.​

"When it comes to diet and nutrition, it is particularly important to make sure that people don’t make potentially harmful changes to their diet based on a lack of information or a misunderstanding of the facts. While it may be right for some people to moderate their consumption of certain foods, others could be making the choice to change their diet completely for the wrong reasons​."

The International Journal of Cancer​ conducted 15 studies on more than a million women, including participant genotypes and carcinogenic levels in processed meats.

Prior to this research, the researchers said red and processed meat consumption with breast cancer risk had generated inconsistent results.

“Previous works linked increased risk of some types of cancer to higher processed meat intake, and this recent meta-analysis suggests that processed meat consumption may also increase breast cancer risk​,” said lead author Dr Maryam Farvid.

“Therefore, cutting down processed meat seems beneficial for the prevention of breast cancer​.”

Scientific researchers from around the world have found several other health risks associated with processed meats including increased migraines caused by nitrates in bacon​ and worsening symptoms for asthma sufferers​.

But other scientists across the global meat sector have also defended the link with cancer and processed meats suggesting that there is not enough evidence​.