Women who eat a lot of meat, particularly red or processed meats, may be more likely to develop breast cancer, according to a large study of British women.

Red meat intake in premenopausal women seemed to increase the risk of developing hormone-receptor positive breast cancer (that’s the kind of breast cancer cells that likes to grow in response to the hormone estrogen).

A recent study led by a faculty member at Harvard Medical School, found that, women who ate more than 1½ servings of red meat per day were almost twice as likely to develop hormone-related breast cancer as those who ate fewer than three portions per week, one study found.

Researchers found that among 35,372 women, between the ages of 35 and 69 years old, who were followed for 8 years, those who ate the largest amount of meat were more likely than non-meat eaters to develop breast cancer before or after menopause.

A Harvard study shows that if you regularly have animal fats from red meat (beef, lamb, pork) and from dairy (milk, cheese, cream, yogurt, ice cream), you have an increased risk for breast cancer. But if you eat small portions of meat and dairy, and include vegetables fats from fiber-rich vegetables, legumes, whole grains and fruits, you can lower your levels of estradiol, one kind of estrogen.

The reasons for this are quite simple to understand

1. Most commercial meat products come from animals that are primarily grain fed, as opposed to being only grass fed.  Studies have shown that one of the body’s major inflammatory pathways (the arachidonic acid pathway, starts with omega 6 fatty acids from grain-fed saturated animal fats.

Farm animals used to eat grasses and forage rich in omega-3 fatty acids, but since the 1950s, they have been dining on corn, soy, and wheat, which have little omega-3 and lots of omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-6 fatty acids from meat and dairy foods can cause inflammation, blood clotting, and cell proliferation, if consumed in excess of omega3s. Omega-3s regulate inflammation, promote orderly cell growth, and help thin your blood. Grass-fed beef and dairy is healthier for you, as is free-range poultry and eggs.

2. Most commercially raised animals are chock full of antibiotics, PCB’s, dioxins, and growth hormones, which can cause havoc for a liver already overload with toxic chemicals. Studies have shown that, beef and pork fat have some of the largest concentrations of dioxin of all food sources.

3. Estrogen residues - Growth hormones

Most U. S. beef cattle are implanted with synthetic growth hormones in feedlots prior to slaughter.

The risk of breast cancer only increases with the uncontrolled use of hormones in meat.

Some breast cancers grow more when exposed to estrogen. There is a body of scientific evidence that suggests lifetime exposure to estrogen affects a woman’s risk of breast cancer. It is thought that the longer the exposure to high levels of the hormone, the greater the breast cancer risk.

With animal meats, estrogen residues found in the edible portions of the food have been associated with the use of estrogen hormone implants in the animals. Because these estrogen implants can promote quicker growth and better yield, they are widely used in the non-organic meat industry. However, estrogen implants are prohibited in the production of certified organic products, including milk, eggs, and meats.

Some growth hormones commonly used in cattle are:

1. Zeronal

The U.S. beef and veal industry uses zeronal (Ralgro), a non-steroidal substance with estrogenic activity, as a growth promoter. Manufactured as a pellet, it is implanted in the ear of cattle to bulk them up for slaughter.

Zeronal has been found to stimulate human breast cancer cell growth and proliferation.

Preliminary lab tests, have already demonstrated that the blood and meat of zeranol implanted beef cattle “can alter the expression of estrogen-regulated genes in cultured normal and cancerous human breast cells and in the human breast cancer cell line, MCF-7. These effects were noticed even at zeranol concentrations much lower than currently allowed by the Food and Drug Administration.

Other growth promoters (mostly hormones) that are routinely administered to cattle also are suspected to contribute to breast cancer risk.

2. melegestrol acetate, progesterone, testosterone and trenbolone.

These hormones are known to disrupt the body’s natural balance, causing a number of biological effects. “There is clear evidence of the risk to human health posed by these hormones,”

Avoid processed meats & fish products

To reduce your risk of breast cancer it is imperative that you reduce your consumption of processed meats such as salami, cured meats, frankfurters, and smoked lox.

What are processed meats?

Meats that are salted, cured, smoked or preserved with nitrate are considered processed meats. This includes bacon, sausage, ham, hot dogs, salami, luncheon meat and other cured meats.

The problem with processed meats

Processed meats contain sodium nitrate and sodium nitrites which are proven cancer causers, and absolute poison for the body. It is a scientific fact that nitrates when combined with stomach fluid create a powerful carcinogen called nitrosamine.

Nearly all processed meats are made with sodium nitrite: breakfast sausage, hot dogs, jerkies, bacon, lunch meat, and even meats in canned soup products.

This ingredient, which sounds harmless, is actually highly carcinogenic once it enters the human digestive system. There, it forms a variety of nitrosamine compounds that enter the bloodstream and wreak havoc with a number of internal organs: the liver and pancreas in particular. Sodium nitrite is widely regarded as a toxic ingredient, and the USDA actually tried to ban this additive in the 1970′s but was vetoed by food manufacturers who complained they had no alternative for preserving packaged meat products

Sodium nitrate is a precursor to highly carcinogenic nitrosamines — potent cancer-causing chemicals that accelerate the formation and growth of cancer cells throughout the body. When consumers eat sodium nitrite in popular meat products, nitrosamines are formed in the body where they promote the growth of various cancers.

There are available some natural brands of smoked lox smoked sausage and cold cuts that contain no nitrates. You must read the package label!

If you reside in the USA you can order organic sausage online from Diamond Organics, and organic smoked lox from: Vital Choice.

As an alternative, eat pasture-raised meat products

Traditional diets, containing animal and plant foods farmed by nontoxic methods, are rich in factors that protect against breast cancer. Many of these protective factors are in the animal fats.

Beef is an abundant dietary source of protein, iron, zinc and B-vitamins. Meat also contains conjugated linoleic acid and stearate, both of which have been shown to induce breast cancer cell death, including breast cancer apoptosis

Free-range animals and poultry graze naturally which give them a rich supply of omega-3, which is then passed on to us through their eggs, milk and meat.

Consuming meat products from animals that are raised organically without added growth hormones or antibiotics, and are grass-fed is can therefore be beneficial for proper health in general and reducing breast cancer risk in particular.

Pasture plants provide animals with more readily available nutrients, so their products contain more vitamin E, beta-carotene, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and omega-3.

Grass fed beef also has higher amounts of conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA, which according to recent research is said to help in preventing diabetes, breast cancer, and so on. Furthermore, grass fed beef is also higher in vitamins A and E, both of which are antioxidants and help in increasing resistance to disease.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) is strongly protective against breast cancer. Found in the butterfat and meat fat of grass-fed ruminant animals.

In addition, (1), grasses have a lower level of omega-6 than –omega-3, while grain has more 6 than 3. So grass fed beef has a ratio of omega-3 to -6 that is closer to our requirements.

Related Articles:

The Connection Between Processed Meats & Cancer

Refined Carbohydrates and Breast Cancer Risk

Raw Dairy Products Are Recommended for Breast Cancer Patients

Omega-3 Fatty Acids & Breast Cancer