Breast cancer survivors advised to steer clear of braaied meat

IF YOU’VE survived breast cancer‚ skip the braai this weekend.

That’s the advice from US doctors, who have found that higher consumption of braaied‚ grilled and smoked meat may increase the chances of death among breast cancer survivors.

Meat cooked at high temperatures contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and carcinogenic chemicals.

Doctors in Long Island‚ led by Humberto Parada‚ asked 1 508 breast cancer survivors about their consumption of four types of grilled‚ braaied and smoked meat.

The women were asked about their intake in each decade of life.

Five years later‚ participants responded to the same questions‚ which asked about the time period since the original questionnaire.

Findings of the study‚ published yesterday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in the US‚ include:

Among the 1 508 women‚ 597 deaths were identified‚ 40% of which were related to breast cancer‚ after a median followup period of 17.6 years;

Compared with low int high intake of meat prior to diagnosis showed a 23% increased hazard of death;

High v low intake of smoked beef‚ lamb or pork was associated with a 17% increased hazard of death from all causes and a 23% increased hazard of breast cancer-specific death; and

Continued high intake of meat was associated with a 31% increased hazard of death from any cause. — TMG