Red meat 'raises risk of bowel cancer'

People who eat a diet high in red and processed meat increase their risk of bowel cancer by as much as a third, researchers have warned.

People who eat a diet high in red and processed meat increase their risk of bowel cancer by as much as a third, researchers have warned.

Past studies have highlighted a possible link between eating large amounts of red meat and a greater risk of bowel cancer.

The latest research, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, used data from a long-running study of the diets of more than half a million people across Europe.

The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (Epic) found that the risk of developing bowel cancer for people who regularly ate more than two portions of red and processed meat a day was 35 per cent higher than for those who ate less than one portion a week.

The study also found that the risk of developing the disease increased for those people who had a low-fibre diet.

Poultry was not found to influence the risk of bowel cancer, but the researchers did find that people who ate more fish faced less chance of developing the disease. The risk of bowel cancer dropped by 30 per cent for people who ate one portion or more of fish every other day compared to those who ate fish less than once a week.

The Meat and Livestock Commission said that people in Britain ate well below the 160g-per-day consumption levels that were used to class high intake in the study.