Food for Thought: The Red Meat–Breast Cancer Link

Nurses’ Health Study II data suggest that red meat consumption increases the risk for premenopausal hormone receptor–positive breast cancer.

Although red meat intake has been associated with increased risk for breast cancer, does tumor hormone receptor status affect that risk? To address this question, investigators followed a cohort of 90,659 premenopausal women in the Nurses’ Health Study II (age range at baseline, 26–46) who answered food frequency questionnaires in 1991, 1995, and 1999. For documented cases of breast cancer, researchers consulted pathology reports to obtain information about estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) status.

During 12 years of follow-up, 1021 cases of invasive breast cancer were documented. Among the 789 cases for which ER and PR status could be verified, 512 were ER-positive and PR-positive (ER+/PR+), and 167 were ER-negative and …

Reviewing Author

Diane E. Judge, APN/CNP

Food for Thought: The Red Meat–Breast Cancer Link

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Reviewing Author