Pecohub A study has found that consuming processed meats such as sausages, ham, and bacon significantly increases the risk of breast cancer.
A joint research team from Seoul National University’s Department of Preventive Medicine, Department of Surgery (Breast), and Department of Food and Nutrition recently published their analysis of the association between processed meat consumption and breast cancer incidence in the latest issue of the international journal *Clinical Nutrition*. The study tracked 71,264 women aged 40–69 for approximately 10 years, from 2004 to 2013. During this period, 713 participants (1%) were newly diagnosed with breast cancer.
The results showed that women who consumed processed meats like sausages, ham, or bacon at least once a week had a 57% higher risk of developing breast cancer compared to those who did not eat processed meats at all. This association was more pronounced in women under 50.
The research team hypothesized that additives such as nitrate and nitrite used in processed meat production may transform into carcinogenic nitroso compounds (NOCs), causing genetic damage and mutations in breast tissue. They also noted that toxic substances like heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), generated during high-temperature cooking, could negatively affect breast tissue.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) under the World Health Organization (WHO) has already classified processed meat as a Group 1 carcinogen.
Separately, the study observed that beef consumption tended to lower breast cancer risk. Women who ate beef at least twice a month had an 18% lower risk compared to those who did not consume beef at all. This contradicts previous Western studies that identified red meat as a risk factor for breast cancer.
The team attributed this discrepancy to Korean women’s lower beef intake compared to Western populations, suggesting that nutrients like essential amino acids in beef might positively influence hormones, inflammation, and metabolism, potentially mitigating the negative effects of alcohol consumption or lack of exercise.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in South Korea, with approximately 30,000 new cases reported annually. Unlike in Western countries, younger age groups are disproportionately affected.
According to the Korean Breast Cancer Society, in 2021, new patients were distributed as follows: 8,589 in their 40s, 8,447 in their 50s, 5,978 in their 60s, 2,611 in their 70s, and 2,096 in their 30s—nearly half of cases concentrated in their 40s and 50s. Experts cite Westernized dietary habits, alcohol consumption, smoking, lack of exercise, obesity, and genetic factors as contributing causes.
