Meat Consumption and Breast Cancer Risk: What You Need to Know

Breast cancer is now the leading cancer diagnosis in women under age 50 in the United States, with rates having increased by nearly 8 percent between 2010 and 2019, according to a study published in 2023 in JAMA Network Open. e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629620b6968-0699-4ff1-b6d8-6ffa06c73837 Breast cancer is also on the rise among older women.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976295b1cba14-e9c5-466d-9573-f6787a140812 And while a direct link hasn’t been proven, growing research suggests that limiting consumption of red and processed meats — which are known to raise the risk of colorectal cancer and are associated with pancreatic , prostate , and stomach cancers — may help reduce breast cancer risk in both pre- and postmenopausal women.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976299d489cf4-945d-4f62-8808-8422b2c9993f Replacing red meat with poultry may reduce breast cancer risk further.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629a1c7eead-1f11-4a29-b3d0-777b69cbd01e A study of more than 42,000 women between ages 35 and 74, published in the International Journal of Cancer, found that those who ate the most red meat (including beef, pork, and lamb) were on average 23 percent more likely to develop breast cancer than those who ate the least. The study also found that women who ate the most poultry (including chicken and turkey) had a 15 percent lower incidence of breast cancer compared with those who ate the least.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629ae5d6df0-7f87-43f4-8071-13358ea0c46c “We found that higher consumption of red meat was associated with higher invasive breast cancer incidence, whereas poultry was associated with reduced incidence,” says study author Dale P. Sandler, PhD , chief of the epidemiology branch at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). “Notably, we also showed that substituting poultry for red meat could decrease rates of invasive breast cancer.” Processed meats, meanwhile — things like hot dogs, ham, bacon, and sausages — may have an even higher level of risk than red meat. A review and meta-analysis of studies also published in the International Journal of Cancer found that when comparing highest intakes with the lowest, processed meat was linked with a 9 percent increased risk of breast cancer while red meat was linked with a 6 percent increased risk.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976298d26e692-2970-40f2-858c-23587b0e59a3 Another large-scale investigation, a 2021 meta-analysis of 148 studies, found that red and processed meats were significantly associated with a greater risk of breast cancer.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629773701c3-f283-460f-8182-31f3382f87ec And the latest report, a 2023 comprehensive review of red meat consumption and cancer risk, determined that “red meat consumption is strongly associated with the development of breast cancer.”e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762967566926-fe3f-4b20-a40f-aba4efb82346 Latest Findings Confirm Earlier Reports These latest findings echo those of earlier studies conducted by researchers who continue to stand by their results. One of the original reports on the subject, the landmark Nurses’ Health Study 2, which involved 90,659 premenopausal women ages 26 to 46, found that women who ate red meat four to five times per week had a 14 percent higher risk of hormone receptor–positive (HR+) breast cancer than those who ate red meat three or fewer times per week. Women who consumed more than 1.5 servings of red meat daily were nearly twice as likely to develop HR-positive breast cancer.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629f94760c9-671b-4aac-9636-6209bc89e594 A subsequent investigation of 44,231 women ages 33 to 52 reached a similar conclusion. “Women who consumed more than about two servings of red meat daily during adolescence were 43 percent more likely to develop premenopausal breast cancer than those who ate red meat less than once per week,” says study author Heather Eliassen, ScD , professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629341f4666-1c08-4bf0-b3da-87831375301c The research also saw a benefit in replacing red meat with other protein sources.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762900f71eac-9dd2-47dd-9062-b87d5292a096 “Our analyses found that replacing red meat with a combination of legumes, nuts, poultry, and fish was associated with reduced risk of breast cancer,” Dr. Eliassen says. World Health Organization Classifies Red and Processed Meats as Carcinogens According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the cancer agency of the World Health Organization (WHO), processed meat is a Class 1 carcinogen, meaning that it is carcinogenic (has the potential to cause cancer) to humans — in the same category as tobacco and asbestos. The IARC has classified red meat as a Group 2A carcinogen, meaning that it is probably carcinogenic to humans.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762975718782-d9db-4e7a-897d-b0667051af35 In a report published in The Lancet Oncology, the IARC working group noted a 17 percent increased risk of colorectal cancer — also on the rise among younger Americans — for every 100 grams of red meat consumed daily (the amount in a palm-of-hand-sized steak or a hockey puck–sized hamburger patty), and an 18 percent increase for every 50 grams of processed meat consumed daily (the amount in six slices of bacon or one hot dog).e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762961e1959e-46a4-424a-837f-ca9905e9c355e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976299180b83f-b136-4880-ba29-355a7c377e96 And yet, despite years of warnings about the negative health effects associated with consuming processed meats — which also include cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes — Americans are eating as much processed meat as ever. The top five, in order, are: luncheon meat, sausage, hot dogs, ham, and bacon.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629145270b4-d9d4-464e-a39b-4de49eeada1c Meanwhile, data on the negative health effects associated with overconsumption of red meat continue to pile up: Research from 2023 found that people who eat just two servings of red meat per week may be more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who eat less. The research also found that replacing red meat with healthy plant-based protein sources or modest amounts of dairy foods was associated with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e59762914aa4477-35b6-4caa-82c1-16adb5ce9c6d You Don’t Have to Eliminate Red Meat Entirely to See a Benefit The following statement on the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health website by the lead author of several of the Nurses’ Health studies sums it up: “Women don’t have to become vegetarians and give up red meat. But if they decrease the amount of red meat they eat — for example, having it once a week instead of twice a day — they will decrease their risk of developing breast cancer. The good news is that they can replace red meat with other sources of protein, including poultry, legumes, nuts, or fish. Women will get the most benefit if they do this earlier in life rather than later.”e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629f65614ac-3d5d-4723-9925-ea1b4639828b NIEHS’s Dr. Sandler, author of the study published in the International Journal of Cancer, concurs: “Reducing intake of red and processed meats is an important component of a healthy diet and may help lower the risk of breast cancer as well as other cancers and chronic diseases,” she says. The American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends choosing protein foods such as fish, poultry, and beans more often than red meat, and for people who eat processed meat products to do so “sparingly, if at all.”e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976294b1cc537-8f94-4f5c-b132-0b83eef4728e The U.S. leads the world in beef consumption, followed by China and Brazil.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e5976299b33eda7-bca0-41d5-8df6-53568b32f5cb Beef consumption reached a new high in 2021, when 30 billion pounds were consumed — an increase of about 8.7 percent from the previous year.e60dc2a1-f33c-4a05-9b50-8e3e8e597629dd303899-3819-45a1-9667-b8fd9cc167cc RELATED: How Plant-Based Eating Can Reduce Your Cancer Risk — and Easy Ways to Start
Resources We Trust Mayo Clinic: Breast Cancer Prevention: How to Reduce Your RiskCleveland Clinic: Breast Cancer Risk AssessmentAmerican Cancer Society: Can I Lower My Risk of Breast Cancer?Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: What Are the Risk Factors? MD Anderson Cancer Center: How to Cook Meat and Keep Your Cancer Risk Low

Are you and your partner neglecting sex play? Learn how to add it back into your routine to boost your bond in and out of the bedroom. While "quickies" can be fun and spontaneous, skipping foreplay means missing out on a great way to connect emotionally and physically. According to Pepper Schwartz, PhD, a sexual health expert and researcher at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, foreplay is critical, elemental, and necessary. Foreplay, also known as "outercourse," is any sexual activity that occurs before intercourse. There is no single way to engage in foreplay, as it can mean different things to different people. It can involve kissing, caressing, cuddling, flirty texting or talking, massage, and oral sex. If you like it a little rough, biting, pinching, scratching, and spanking can be a turn-on. The goal is to increase sexual excitement, which can help prepare the body for intercourse. Foreplay is sometimes thought of as a warm-up for sex, but it doesn't necessarily have to lead to intercourse. Some couples find foreplay itself to be sexually fulfilling as a main event. The benefits of foreplay include lubrication of the vagina, an extended erection, and the prevention of premature ejaculation for people with penises. The female body pulls the uterus up when aroused, lengthening the vagina. This process, called uterine tenting, creates a pool area for semen, which is part of the reproductive sophistication of our machinery, according to Dr. Schwartz. As those muscles relax, the nerve endings start to get stimulated, paving the way for a more pleasurable experience. Research involving married couples has found that 1 to 10 minutes of foreplay was associated with 40% of women achieving orgasm during sex. That percentage rose to 50 with 12 to 20 minutes of foreplay and 60 with more than 20 minutes of foreplay. If you want more action in bed, you have to let your partner know what you want. But talking about sex can be easier said than done for some. Dr. Lyndsey Harper, a clinical assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Texas A&M School of Medicine in Bryan, Texas, recommends two sentence starters to try when expressing sexual desire to your partner: "I want you to..." and "It feels so good when you...". If it makes you more comfortable, you can bring up your sexual needs outside of the bedroom. If you don't know how to bring it up, she suggests starting the conversation with something like, "Our sex life is really important, and I'd love for us to feel open talking about things. Would it be okay for me to share with you some things I like?" Communication comfort is closely linked to trust. To experience true intimacy and fun foreplay, trusting each other is essential, especially since our needs constantly change. Couples who find it difficult to communicate about their desires should consider seeing a couple's counselor or sex therapist who can help them navigate these discussions.
  • Foreplay is just play. Couples can engage in it however they want. According to Dr. Harper, it generally takes about 20 minutes of arousal for women to become fully lubricated and ready for penetrative sex. However, it is best to abolish the idea of "foreplay" and the "main event" of penetrative sex and work together with your partner to create a fun and intimate sexual life where everyone's needs are met.

https://www.everydayhealth.com/sexual-health/sexual-foreplay.aspx