A new study from the University of Glasgow has discovered that women between the ages of 40-69 who eat three pieces of bacon a week have a higher chance of developing breast cancer.
The study analysed the results from 273,466 British women to make the link, stating that eating nine grams of processed meat a week (the equivalent of three pieces of bacon), ups a woman’s chance of developing breast cancer by 20%.
The study also found that even by consuming less than 9 grams of processed meats, you still increase your risk by 15%.
Naveed Sattar, co-author of the Glaswegian study said, ‘in addition to the previously known effects of processed meat on other kinds of cancer, this adds further evidence that it may have a deleterious effect on breast cancer, particularly in postmenopausal women. If you take it at face value and say there’s an association, then it means that if people were to less processed meat they might well reduce their risk of breast cancer.’
The link between certain meats and cancer is not new, in fact it has even been reported that the correlation was discovered around 100 years ago and ignored by the government. However, there are things that can be done to reduce your risk. For example, one past study has shown that by switching to a meat-free diet, a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer can be reduced by around 15%.
