| Younger women who eat red meat appear to face an increased risk for a common form of breast cancer, according to a large, well-known Harvard study of women's health.
This study of more than 90,000 women found that the more red meat the women consumed in their 20's, 30's and 40's, the greater their risk for developing breast cancer. In fact, those that consumed the most red meat had nearly twice the risk of those who ate red meat infrequently.
This study offers women one of the few things they can do to reduce their risk for breast cancer. Breast cancer strikes nearly 213,000 US women each year, and kills nearly 41,000, making it the most common cancer and the second most common cause of cancer death among women.
Why does red meat cause breast cancer? We really do not know, but it has been suggested that substances produced by cooking meat may be carcinogenic, naturally occurring substances in meat may mimic the action of hormones, or growth hormones that farmers feed cows could fuel breast cancer in women who consume meat from the animals.
Other ways to reduce your risk of breast cancer include regular exercise and weight control.
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