Giving up red meat and eating poultry instead could drastically lower a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer, according to a new study. Previous research has shown that consuming too much red meat is associated with diabetes, heart disease, and several cancers, but now researchers from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences have found that women who switch from eating beef, lamb, or pork to chicken, duck, and turkey are 28% less likely to get breast cancer.
“Red meat has been identified as a probable carcinogen,” explains Dr. Dale Sandler, who led the study that followed more than 42,000 women over seven and a half years. “Our study adds further evidence that red meat consumption may be associated with increased risk for breast cancer whereas poultry was associated with decreased risk.”
This research shows people who ate the most red meat had a 23% higher risk of the disease than those who rarely eat it. And it finds women who ate more turkey and chicken lower their chance for breast cancer by 15%. So how is the poultry helping? Experts think eating it may cause less cell and DNA damage than eating red meat. But other scientists are cautious about the findings and say more research is needed into how chicken possibly protects against breast cancer.
Source:New York Post