A prospective study of red and processed meat intake in relation to cancer risk

Red meat and processed meat have been associated with carcinogenesis at several anatomic sites, but no prospective study has examined meat intake in relation to a range of malignancies. We investigated whether red or processed meat intake increases cancer risk at a variety of sites. The National Ins...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	PLoS medicine 2007-12, Vol.4 (12), p.e325
Main Authors:	Cross, Amanda J, Leitzmann, Michael F, Gail, Mitchell H, Hollenbeck, Albert R, Schatzkin, Arthur, Sinha, Rashmi
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Aged Colorectal cancer Colorectal Neoplasms - etiology Diet Epidemiology Esophageal Neoplasms - etiology Female Follow-Up Studies Health risk assessment Humans Incidence Liver Neoplasms - etiology Lung Neoplasms - etiology Male Meat Meat - adverse effects Meat Products - adverse effects Men Middle Aged Neoplasms - epidemiology Neoplasms - etiology Nutrition Nutrition and Metabolism Nutrition Assessment Nutrition policy Oncology Proportional Hazards Models Prospective Studies Public Health Public Health and Epidemiology Risk Assessment Risk Factors Sex Factors Studies Surveys and Questionnaires Time Factors United States - epidemiology Women
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Summary:	Red meat and processed meat have been associated with carcinogenesis at several anatomic sites, but no prospective study has examined meat intake in relation to a range of malignancies. We investigated whether red or processed meat intake increases cancer risk at a variety of sites. The National Institutes of Health (NIH)-AARP (formerly the American Association for Retired Persons) Diet and Health Study is a cohort of approximately 500,000 people aged 50-71 y at baseline (1995-1996). Meat intake was estimated from a food frequency questionnaire administered at baseline. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals within quintiles of red and processed meat intake. During up to 8.2 y of follow-up, 53,396 incident cancers were ascertained. Statistically significant elevated risks (ranging from 20% to 60%) were evident for esophageal, colorectal, liver, and lung cancer, comparing individuals in the highest with those in the lowest quintile of red meat intake. Furthermore, individuals in the highest quintile of processed meat intake had a 20% elevated risk for colorectal and a 16% elevated risk for lung cancer. Both red and processed meat intakes were positively associated with cancers of the colorectum and lung; furthermore, red meat intake was associated with an elevated risk for cancers of the esophagus and liver.
ISSN:	1549-1676 1549-1277 1549-1676