Rood en bewerkt vlees en kanker.*
Uit een analyse van de voedingsgewoonte van een half miljoen mensen in de leeftijd van 50-70 jaar blijkt dat het eten van regelmatig rood en/of bewerkt vlees de kans op verschillende
kankers flink doet toenemen. De mensen werden ruim 8 jaar gevolgd en in die periode werd bij ruim 53.000 mensen kanker vastgesteld. In de categorie van de mensen die
het meeste rood vlees aten was de kans op slokdarm, darm-, lever- en longkanker 20-60%
hoger dan voor mensen met de minste vleesconsumptie. Voor bewerkt vlees was de kans op longkanker 16% hoger. En alleen voor mannen gaf zowel rood als bewerkt vlees
een duidelijke verhoogde kans op pancreaskanker. Anders gezegd door niet het
meeste maar het minste vlees te eten kunnen 10% van alle longkankergevallen en
ook 10% van alle darmkankergevallen voorkomen worden. De gemiddelde
vleesconsumptie bedroeg ongeveer 75 gram per dag, in de categorie van de mensen
die het meest rood vlees aten was dat ongeveer 125 gram. Voor bewerkt vlees
consumeerde de hoogste categorie bijv. 4 plakken bacon per dag en de laagste
categorie 1 plak.
Cancer Risks From Eating Red And Processed Meat
New findings provide evidence that people who eat a lot of red and processed meats have greater risk of developing bowel and lung cancer than people who eat small quantities. The research by Amanda Cross and colleagues at the US National Cancer Institute is published in the latest issue of PLoS
Medicine.
The researchers used data from a large US diet and health study, which began in 1995 and involves nearly half a million men and women aged 50-71. Participants-none of whom had had cancer previously-completed a questionnaire about their dietary habits over the previous year. People whose red meat intake was in the top fifth of the range of intakes recorded in the study had an increased risk of developing colorectal, liver, lung and esophageal cancer when compared to people in the lowest fifth of consumption. People in the highest fifth of processed meat intake had an increased risk of developing colorectal and lung cancer. The incidences of other cancers were largely unaffected by meat intake.
These results provide evidence that people who eat a lot of red and processed meats have greater risk of developing colorectal and lung cancer than people who eat small quantities. They also indicate that a high red meat intake is associated with an increased risk of esophageal and liver cancer and that 1 in 10 colorectal and 1 in 10 lung cancers could be avoided if people reduced their red and processed meat intake to the lowest
quintile.
The researchers allowed for factors such as smoking that might have affected cancer incidence, but it remains possible that other life-style factors may have had an influence. The study's definitions of red meat and processed meat overlapped; bacon and ham, for example, were included in both categories. Thus, exactly which type of meat causes which type of cancer remains unclear. Most of the study participants were non-Hispanic white, so these findings may not apply to people with different genetic backgrounds. Nevertheless, they add to the evidence that suggests that decreased consumption of red and processed meats could reduce the incidence of several types of
cancer.
In another article in the same issue of PLoS Medicine Anita Koushik and Jeanine Genkinger review the key research on the association between meat intake and cancer risk, including this new study.
Citation: Cross AJ, Leitzmann MF, Gail MH, Hollenbeck AR, Schatzkin A, et al. A prospective study of red and processed meat intake in relation to cancer risk. PLoS Med 4(12): e325.
doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0040325 Please click here
Related PLoS Medicine Research In Translation:
Citation: Genkinger JM, Koushik A Meat consumption and cancer risk. PLoS Med 4(12): e345.
doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0040345
Please click here
About PLoS Medicine
PLoS Medicine is an open access, freely available international medical journal. It publishes original research that enhances our understanding of human health and disease, together with commentary and analysis of important global health issues.
About the Public Library of Science
The Public Library of Science (PLoS) is a non-profit organization of scientists and physicians committed to making the world's scientific and medical literature a freely available public resource.
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