Eating meat increases breast cancer risk in white women

A new study has shown that white women are at a higher risk of breast cancer than women of other skin colors.

Researchers at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey found that eating red meat and poultry increased the risk of the cancer in white women but not black women.

The study looked at 976 black women and 873 white women with breast cancer and over 1000 black women and nearly 900 white women without cancer, reported HealthDay.

The researchers found that white women who ate the most unprocessed meat were at a higher risk of dying from breast cancer or developing it.

This is the first time that a major study has included a greater or equal number of black women, allowing researchers to control for skin color.

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"Most breast cancer studies have been conducted in [white] women," said study author Elisa Bandera, according to CBS News.

"This research supports encouraging [white] women to limit their intake of both red meat and poultry in order to reduce their risk of breast cancer, which is in line with the American Institute for Cancer Research's recommendation of limiting red meat intake to less than 500 grams per week," said another co-researcher in a statement.

Researchers made clear that causality was not proven but strong results were shown.

The findings were presented at the American Institute for Cancer Research meeting in Washington, DC but have yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal.