Red meat, processed meat linked to pancreatic cancer

Eating too much processed meat and red meat may increase risk of pancreatic cancer, according to a s…

Eating too much processed meat and red meat may increase risk of pancreatic cancer, according to a study published in British Journal of Cancer.

The study led by Susan Larsson and A. Wolk from Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden shows that intake of 120 grams of red meat per day was associated with 13% increased risk of pancreatic cancer when men and women were considered together in the study.

Red meat consumption did not increase risk of pancreatic cancer in women.  But in men, intake of red meat in such an amount was associated with 29% increased risk for developing pancreatic cancer.

Processed meat consumption could be a greater risk.  Consumption of merely 50 grams of processed meat per day was correlated with 19% increased risk for pancreatic cancer in men and women.

Cooked red meat contains thermally generated carcinogens and heme iron, all of which can increase risk of cancer.  Processed meat often contains additional toxic preservatives such as nitrite and nitrate.

In the United States, 48,960 cases of pancreatic cancer are expected to be diagnosed in 2015 and 40,560 men and women are expected to die from this disease in the same year.  Only 7.2% of pancreatic cancer patients newly diagnosed in 2015 might live for longer than five years after diagnosis, according to the National Cancer Institute. (David Liu)