Consumption of Meat Increases Cancer Risk: Study

Eating meat and other related food products can cause cancer, a latest study reveals.

The study found that consumption of meat is strongly correlated with cancer risk along with smoking and drinking alcohol.

Researchers studied the data of 87 countries with advanced cancer and 157 countries with cancer incidence rate. This data was statistically compared with indices for various risk modifying factors, researchers wrote in a press release.

The data of dietary supply was taken from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Researchers also considered information dating back to 1980 because there is a gap of about 20 years between dietary changes and peak cancer rates.

The study found that animal fat along with smoking increased the chances of lung cancer while drinking alcohol lead to just one type of cancer, colorectal.

The results were consistent with studies from 20-30 years ago. Although smoking rates in Japan and the United States were similar, lung cancer rates were much higher in the United States, the researchers wrote.

Consumption of sweetened products was linked to risks in brain (females), corpus uteri, pancreatic, and prostate cancer. Furthermore, eating meat or other related products increased the chances of testicular, thyroid cancer, and multiple myeloma.

The researchers noted that the reason behind the association of eating meat and cancer risk was due to the higher chances of growth of the body as well as tumours through production of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) because of animal products.

The study is published in journal Nutrients.