Study Rebuts Risks of Breast Cancer From Red Meat

Eating well-done red meat--whether barbecued, grilled or pan seared--does not increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer, but a diet rich in fish, chicken or turkey may offer some protection against the disease, according to a UC Irvine study released today.

Previous studies of rats suggested that chemicals on and near the surface of red meats cooked thoroughly at high temperatures combine with enzymes in the body to bind with DNA, causing mammary cell cancers.

The UC Irvine study, which appears to rebut those animal studies, was published in the April issue of Carcinogenesis. It examined the meat-eating habits of 394 Orange County women being treated at three clinics for suspicious breast masses between 1995 and 1998. Researchers found no higher incidence of malignancy in women who ate well cooked red meat, defined as hamburger, beefsteak, pork, bacon and breakfast sausage.

Dr. Ralph J. Delfino, an epidemiologist at UC Irvine’s College of Medicine who led the study, warned that it must be “interpreted cautiously” because the women studied were a relatively small group of predominately white, middle-class, well-educated women who may well have eaten a more healthful diet than is typical. The conclusions may not apply to women in other social classes or minorities.