Red meat linked with bowel cancer

People who eat more than 160 grams of red or processed meat a day are 35 percent more likely to develop bowel cancer than those who eat less than 20 grams a day.

The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) followed 478,040 men and women aged 35 to 70 from 10 European countries. All subjects were free of cancer at enrollment between 1992 and 1998, but after an average follow-up of almost 5 years 1,329 colorectal cancers had been reported. The subsequent analysis confirmed the long-held suspicion that high intakes of red meat were associated with increased bowel cancer risk.

After factoring in age, sex, height, weight, energy intake, physical activity, smoking, dietary fibre, folate, and alcohol consumption, the researchers found that bowel cancer was associated with the intake of red and processed meat but not chicken. The risk of colorectal cancer dropped with the increasing intake of fish. Eating more than 80 grams a day of fish was associated with a 31 percent reduction in risk compared with eating less than 10 grams a day.

Subjects with high red meat and low fish intake were at 63 percent higher risk of bowel cancer compared with subjects with low red meat and high fish intake. In addition, the risk of developing the disease was increased for those people who ate a low fibre diet.

The other risk factors for bowel cancer include obesity and lack of physical activity. Smoking and excess alcohol may also play a role. These factors were all taken into account in the analysis.

Journal of the National Cancer Institute, June 2005
	15 June, 2005