Red and processed meat may increase colon cancer risk
Star Health Desk
Scientists are now recommending eating less processed and red meat to avoid risks of cancer of colon known as alimentary canal in the small intestine. Instead they suggest eating more fish.A study published in the June 14, 2005 confirms earlier reports that high levels of consumption of red and processed meat are associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer, and that high levels of fish consumption are associated with a decreased risk of cancer of the same tissue, a press release from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) said. Dr Elio Riboli and Teresa Norat, of the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France, and colleagues used data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), a cohort of over half a million Western Europeans, to examine the associations between intakes of red and processed meat, poultry, and fish and colorectal cancer risk. Over a mean follow-up of 5 years, 1,329 cases of colorectal cancer were documented. In the study population, there was a 35 per cent increased risk of developing colorectal cancer in those individuals who consumed the highest quantities of red and processed meat, compared with subjects with the lowest consumption. Dr Teresa Norat said, "At the same time, the risk of developing colorectal cancer was 31 per cent lower among individuals with the highest fish consumption compared with subjects in the lowest category of fish consumption." There was no association between poultry consumption and colorectal cancer risk, the press release, copy of which was sent to The Daily Star correspondent, said. The present study shows that the reduction in risk associated with fish consumption and the increase in risk associated with increased red meat consumption are independent from each other. "Further," said Dr Riboli, the Coordinator of the European-wide EPIC study, "The association of meat and fish consumption with colorectal cancer risk was independent from the reduction in risk associated with dietary fiber consumption that was observed in the same study population." The IARC Director, Dr Peter Boyle, noted that "colorectal cancer is the second most frequent cancer in men, after lung cancer, and in women, after breast cancer. In 2002, over one million cases of colorectal cancer were diagnosed around the world, and over half a million persons died from this disease.
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