Premenopausal women who eat less meat may be at lower risk for breast cancer, a study released recently in Public Health and Nutrition suggests.
The study led by B.E. Harmon and colleagues from University of Hawaii Cancer Center in Honolulu, HI, USA actually finds that premenopausal women who ate low amounts of meat had lower serum estrogen, a female sex hormone, than those who ate higher amounts of meat.
In other word, eating meat may increase the production of estrogen which is known to promote the growth of breast cancer and recognized as a risk factor for the malignancy.
The study essentially suggests that eating more meat leads to the production of high levels of serum estrogen, which in turn boosts breast cancer risk in premenopausal women.
High intake of meat has been associated with increased risk of cancer including breast cancer. But it is not clear how meat consumption could affect the risk of cancers like breast cancer. The current study provides some explanation.
In the study, researchers examined data from participants enrolled in two randomized soya trials (BEAN1 and BEAN2) involving premenopausal healthy women who recalled 24-h food consumption seven times during a period of 13 months and offered three samples for analysis of estrogen. Estrogen analyzed includes oestrone and oestradiol. Analyzed were also nine estrogen metabolites in samples.
Three groups of women were classified based on their consumption of meat/poultry/fish. T hose who ate less than 30 grams of red meat, poultry and fish daily were called semi-vegetarians and those who ate less than 20 grams of meat/poultry, but more than 10 grams of fish per day were called pescatarians. All others were called non-vegetarians who ate higher amounts of meat.
All participants were aged at 42 plus or minus 4.5 years. Lower levels of oestrone and oestradiol were found in semi-vegetarians and higher levels were found in non-vegetarians. And the total of nine urinary estrogen metabolites was also slightly lower in semi-vegetarians.
The study led by B.E. Harmon and colleagues from University of Hawaii Cancer Center in Honolulu, HI, USA actually finds that premenopausal women who ate low amounts of meat had lower serum estrogen, a female sex hormone, than those who ate higher amounts of meat.
In other word, eating meat may increase the production of estrogen which is known to promote the growth of breast cancer and recognized as a risk factor for the malignancy.
The study essentially suggests that eating more meat leads to the production of high levels of serum estrogen, which in turn boosts breast cancer risk in premenopausal women.
High intake of meat has been associated with increased risk of cancer including breast cancer. But it is not clear how meat consumption could affect the risk of cancers like breast cancer. The current study provides some explanation.
In the study, researchers examined data from participants enrolled in two randomized soya trials (BEAN1 and BEAN2) involving premenopausal healthy women who recalled 24-h food consumption seven times during a period of 13 months and offered three samples for analysis of estrogen. Estrogen analyzed includes oestrone and oestradiol. Analyzed were also nine estrogen metabolites in samples.
Three groups of women were classified based on their consumption of meat/poultry/fish. T hose who ate less than 30 grams of red meat, poultry and fish daily were called semi-vegetarians and those who ate less than 20 grams of meat/poultry, but more than 10 grams of fish per day were called pescatarians. All others were called non-vegetarians who ate higher amounts of meat.
All participants were aged at 42 plus or minus 4.5 years. Lower levels of oestrone and oestradiol were found in semi-vegetarians and higher levels were found in non-vegetarians. And the total of nine urinary estrogen metabolites was also slightly lower in semi-vegetarians.
