No Link Between Red Meat and Prostate Cancer

There is no independent positive association between the consumption of red or processed meats and the development of prostate cancer, according to a new meta-analysis of large scale prospective studies on red and processed meats and cancer published in Nutrition Journal.

Several large epidemiologic investigations of meat intake and prostate cancer have been published over the past decade. Therefore, researchers, led by Dr. Dominik Alexander of Exponent Health Sciences Practice, conducted a meta-analysis of prospective studies to estimate the summary associations between red meat and processed meat and total prostate cancer, evaluate associations among men with advanced disease, estimate dose response trends, evaluate potential sources of heterogeneity and assess the potential for publication bias.

The researchers analyzed 26 studies--15 on red meat and 11 studies investigating processed meats and cancer risk--and concluded that consumption of red or processed meats overall have no association with prostate cancer.

"The results of this meta-analysis are not supportive of an independent positive association between red or processed meat intake and prostate cancer," concluded the researchers in the review.

The paper, published in Nutrition Journal Volume 9, Issue 50, can be found in its entirety at http://bit.ly/ds5dKf.

Reprinted in part from American Meat Institute