Joint research team from Seoul National University Hospital and Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital analyzes cancer mortality by meat type among 147,562 adults in first-of-its-kind Korean study; men who eat more red meat show 52% lower risk of dying from stomach cancer, while women who eat more organ meat face higher risk of dying from pancreatic and breast cancer
Association between meat consumption and cancer mortality in Korean adults (Gemini image)
The type of meat a person eats — not simply how much meat they consume — may be more closely linked to the risk of dying from certain cancers, according to a large-scale Korean cohort study. Overall meat intake showed no significant association with total cancer mortality in either men or women. Men who ate more red meat such as beef and pork tended to have a lower risk of dying from stomach cancer, while women who ate more organ meats such as gopchang — grilled intestines — tended to face a higher risk of dying from pancreatic and breast cancer.
A joint research team led by Park Min-sun, a professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Seoul National University Hospital, and Yoo In-sun, a professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital, announced the findings Thursday. The team analyzed the association between meat consumption by type and cancer-specific mortality among 147,562 adults aged 40 and older — 53,847 men and 93,715 women — who participated in the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES).
Previous research on meat consumption and cancer has been conducted primarily in Western populations, focusing on total meat and red meat intake in relation to cancer incidence. This is the first Korean study to analyze cancer mortality by specific meat type in an Asian population.
The research team classified meat into four categories: red meat (beef and pork), chicken, organ meat and processed meat. Red meat, chicken and organ meat were divided into four consumption quartiles, while processed meat was categorized by whether participants consumed it at all. The team then compared cancer-specific mortality risk after adjusting for age, body mass index, smoking, alcohol consumption, education level, physical activity and total energy intake.
The analysis found that total meat consumption had no significant association with overall cancer mortality in either sex. When broken down by meat type, however, distinct patterns emerged between men and women.
Among men, those in the highest red meat consumption quartile had a 52 percent lower risk of dying from stomach cancer than those in the lowest quartile (hazard ratio 0.48). The association was particularly pronounced among men with a BMI below 25 and those with a history of smoking. Men who consumed processed meat faced a 2.45 times higher risk of dying from rectal cancer than non-consumers.
Among women, those in the third quartile of organ meat consumption had a 2.57 times higher risk of dying from breast cancer and a 1.83 times higher risk of dying from pancreatic cancer compared with those in the lowest quartile. The association was more pronounced among women aged 60 and older, those with a BMI below 25 and non-smokers.
Key associations between meat consumption by sex and cancer mortality
The research team pointed to Korean food culture as a possible explanation for the inverse association between red meat consumption and stomach cancer mortality in men. In South Korea, pork accounts for the majority of red meat consumed and is typically grilled rather than salted or smoked as in Western countries, meaning sodium exposure and fat composition differ significantly. The team also raised the possibility that heavier meat consumers tend to have higher socioeconomic status and may therefore participate more actively in stomach cancer screening.
"Organ meats such as liver and gopchang may contain higher concentrations of heavy metals — including arsenic, cadmium and lead — than regular muscle meat," Yoo said. "These substances may accumulate in fatty tissue and enter the bloodstream during weight changes or the aging process, potentially influencing cancer mortality risk in women."
"This study shows that the type of meat consumed may matter more for cancer health than the total amount," Park said. "Rather than applying findings from Western research directly to Asian populations, we need a sex-specific approach that takes dietary habits and living environment into account."
However, the research team added that because this was an observational study, a direct causal relationship between meat consumption and cancer mortality cannot be established. The team also noted limitations including the inability to account for cooking methods or long-term changes in dietary habits, and said further research is needed. The findings were published in a recent issue of Frontiers in Nutrition, an international peer-reviewed journal in the field of nutrition and dietetics.
kty@heraldcorp.com
