Several large-scale human studies have associated diets high in meat with greater risk for colon cancer.  Never the less, it has proven difficult to determine if this increase in risk is a direct result of meat consumption or due to other factors that often accompany diets high in meat, such as low consumption of vegetables and fruits, inactivity, obesity or smoking. 

It is important to note that the consumption of white meat indicates a lesser cancer risk than red meat in some studies.  Scientists believe one reason for the difference may be that the digestion of red meat generates more harmful compounds in the body than white meat.  Nutritionists define red meat as beef, lamb, and pork, while chicken and fish are considered white meat.

Although many studies have examined meat’s role in colorectal cancer, an increasing number of scientists are now investigating meat’s possible role in cancers of the breast, prostate and pancreas.

For instance, the authors of a two-year case-control study in South America examined the possible link between consumption of white meat and breast cancer.  The study involved 333 women whose estimates of yearly white meat consumption were analyzed by type and cooking method.  Their diets were otherwise statistically matched.

Dr. Peterson is a doctor of Family and Community Medicine at the Walter L. Aument Family Health Center, 317 S. Chestnut St., Quarryville.