Health warning issued to women who eat burgers and hot dogs

The researchers analysed data on the diet and cancer risk of millions of women.

It is known fact that processed meat if consumed daily has ill-effects health. But recent Harvard study reveals another risk of eating burgers and hot dogs - increases a woman's risk of breast cancer.
Processed meat has long been linked to other cancers of the pancreas, prostate and bowels, but this study is the first to show a link with tumors that start in the breast.
Processed meat is meat that has been salted, cured, fermented, smoked or blended to make sausages, hot dogs, salami, bacon, ham and corned beef.
The World Cancer Research Fund advises eliminating red meat altogether but for those who cannot give up on red meat should eat only 70g a day (the equivalent of half a burger or one sausage), according to NHS. Scientists collected data from 28 previous studies and found women who consumed the most processed meat were nine per cent more likely to develop the disease.
However, the study found no elevated risk for those who ate unprocessed red meat such as beef, lamb, pork, veal, goat and mutton, according to Daily Mail report.
Lead author Dr Maryam Farvid, of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said, "This recent meta-analysis suggests that processed meat consumption may also increase breast cancer risk. Therefore, cutting down processed meat seems beneficial for the prevention of breast cancer.'
The study published in the International Journal of Cancer analysed all published studies on the topic. It stated that food additives nitrate and nitrite that give processed meats their pink color may be to blame - along with the saturated fat, cholesterol and a type of iron that comes from animal proteins.
Dr Farvid pointed that red meat was not a significant cause of breast cancer, adding, " Globally, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and the second leading cause of cancer death."
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that consumption of red meat was a probable human carcinogen, whereas processed meat was classified as 'carcinogenic to humans.' This classification was largely based on the evidence for colorectal, pancreas and prostate cancers for red meat and colorectal, or bowel, cancer for processed meat.

However, the Meat Advisory Panel spokesperson, Robert Pickard, Emeritus Professor of Neurobiology at Cardiff University, said 'no single foodstuff is responsible for cancer' - despite the mounting evidence.