Since The Green Woman teamed up with Breast Cancer UK we’ve had numerous enquires about chemical loading and cancer prevention. One question that comes up frequently is what the advice is around meat consumption and whether this is also linked to Breast Cancer. Breast Cancer UK have very kindly passed on this information for anyone that is interested in knowing more:

In 2015 The World Health Organisation (WHO) classified processed meats such as salami and ham as class 1 carcinogens and red meat as class 2a - a 'probable' cause of cancer. According to the WHO, the strongest, but still limited, evidence for an association with eating red meat is for colorectal cancer, there is also evidence of links with pancreatic cancer and prostate cancer, however there is no clear evidence of a link to an increase in breast cancer risk. ¹ However; a recent meta-analysis concluded that increased intake of red and processed meat is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.²

Available evidence is insufficient to establish whether there is an association between dairy intake and breast cancer risk, as results of studies and meta-analyses are inconsistent - some studies support a link, others don't.

Breast Cancer UK supports The European Code against Cancer, which recommends that people have a healthy diet to reduce their risk of cancer: they should eat plenty of whole grains, pulses, vegetables and fruits; limit high-calorie foods (foods high in sugar or fat); avoid sugary drinks and processed meat; and limit red meat and foods high in salt.³

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Sources:

• (http://www.who.int/features/qa/cancer-red-meat/en/).
• Guo et al. (2015). Red and processed meat intake and risk of breast cancer: a meta-analysis of prospective studies. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment 151, (1) 191-198. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10549-015-3380-9). 

• Norat et al. (2015). European Code against Cancer 4th Edition: Diet and cancer. Cancer Epidemiology 39S (2015) S56–S66. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26164653