Source:  Lisa M. Keefe, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 8/18/09

A second medical study has found no statistical link between the consumption of red meat and incidence of breast cancer.

Researchers with the American Society for Nutrition analyzed three human studies of the diets of nearly 320,000 women, conducted in Europe between 1992 and 2003, according to information on the Web site of The American Journal of Clinic Nutrition, which will publish the research in its September 2009 issue.

"We have not consistently identified intakes of meat, eggs, or dairy products as risk factors for breast cancer," the authors concluded in their abstract. "Future studies should investigate the possible role of high-temperature cooking in the relation of red meat intake with breast cancer risk."

Earlier in the summer, another study also noted that a link between meat consumption and breast cancer was missing. In fact, the authors of the more recent study suggest that moderate consumption of meat and dairy helps offset the fact that many women don't get enough iron and calcium.

However, the researchers said that they did not analyze the relationship between meat and dairy consumption during childhood and developing breast cancer later in life. In an accompanying editorial in the same issue, they say such a relationship is "a likely important piece of the puzzle."

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