Filed under: Science, Beef, Meat, Health & Medical

Some new research suggests that there may be a link between breast cancer and the amount of red meat women consume. Researchers said that having "one-and-a-half servings of red meat per day almost doubled the risk of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer compared to three or fewer per week." The conclusion was drawn from data from the Nurses' Health Study II, which was collected from 1989 to 2003, and where one portion of meat was defined as having a meat main dish (or major component of the name dish) at any meal, including in a sandwich, hamburger, hot dog or bacon.

There are a few reasons attributed to the increase in risk. First, some cancer-causing chemicals "such as heterocyclic amines" are created when red meat is cooked. Second, there may be a link with some of the growth hormones given to cattle. That being said, previous forays into this area have proven to be inconclusive, so even though there was a correlation it doesn't mean that anything is completely certain at this point.