30 novembre, 2006 18:38
Meta-Analysis Confirms Red Meat Consumption Linked to Colorectal Cancer Risk
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Dec 01 - Consumption of red meat and processed meat is indeed associated with an increased risk colorectal cancer, according to results of a meta-analysis published in the December issue of the International Journal of Cancer.
"High consumption of red meat and processed meat has been associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer in many epidemiologic studies, although the associations were usually not statistically significant," write Drs. Susanna C. Larsson and Alicja Wolk, of the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
In a meta-analysis of prospective studies published through March 2006, the researchers used random-effects models to pool results from 15 prospective studies on red meat consumption (including 7367 cases) and 14 studies on processed meat consumption (involving 7903 cases).
For subjects in the highest versus the lowest categories of red meat intake, the summary relative risk of colorectal cancer was 1.28. For processed meat consumption, the summary relative risk was 1.20 for those in the highest category.
The estimated summary relative risk was 1.28 for an increase of 120 g/day of red meat, and 1.09 for an increase of 30 g/day of processed meat.
A positive association was observed between consumption of red meat and processed meat and both colon and rectal cancer. The association with red meat was stronger for rectal cancer.
The investigators note that cancers in the distal and proximal colon may have different etiologies. "Only 3 studies reported results for subsites in the colon," they explain. "In these studies, high consumption of processed meat was associated with an increased risk of distal colon cancer but not of proximal colon cancer."
Int J Cancer 2006;119:2657-2664.
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