Aug 14, 2006, 9:43 GMT
Stockholm - Increased consumption of processed meat products like bacon, sausages and smoked ham increases the risk of stomach cancer, Swedish researchers said in an article in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The study suggested that the risk of developing stomach cancer increases by between 15 and 38 per cent when daily consumption of processed meat products increases by about a half-portion - or 30 grams.
Stomach cancer claims around 700,000 lives a year worldwide, and is the fourth most common cancer form.
The researchers at the Karolinska Institutet said they were not sure why processed meats caused an increase, but noted that these meat products are often salted or smoked. Nitrites may also be added to prolong shelf-life.
The researchers based their findings on a meta-analysis of all research on the possible links between processed meat and stomach cancer.
'This is an analysis in which we collated all research into processed meats and stomach cancer that we could find,' research student Anna Larsson said.
The 15 studies included in the meta-analysis covered 4,704 people from 1966 to 2006.
Larsson and the other team members worked under the supervision of Alicja Wolk at The Institute of Environmental Medicine.
Larsson said she hoped that 'further studies will clarify the interaction between the consumption of processed meats and other factors, such as other dietary factors and the effects of different bacteria on the incidence of stomach cancer.'
The Journal of the National Cancer Institute article, 'Processed Meat Consumption and Stomach Cancer Risk: A Meta-Analysis,' was written by Susanna C. Larsson, Nicola Orsini and Alicja Wolk.
The article was published in the August issue of the journal.
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