Both red meat and skin moles are being linked to breast cancer.
A new study, which looked at over 88,000 women between the ages of 26 and 45 who were part of the Nurses' Health Study II, found that women who ate more meat were more likely to develop breast cancer over the next 20 years, according to Forbes.
Researchers reportedly estimate that frequent red meat consumption may contribute to a 20% increased risk of the disease.
A team at Harvard used a statistical model to find that eating the greatest amount of red meat, which would be one and half servings per day, was associated with a 22% increased risk of breast cancer, compared to women who ate just one serving per week.
For each additional serving of red meat per day a woman eats, the risk of developing breast cancer is predicted to rise by 13%.
It is important to note that it can't definitely be said that red meat causes breast cancer, but it could very likely contribute to risk, as reported by the website.
According to two studies coming out this week in the journal PLOS Medicine, skin moles may indicate a woman's risk for breast cancer, particularly in middle-aged women, researchers say.
Scientists have emphasized that people with moles should not panic and are still trying to figure out the link between the two, according to KY3.
A study in the United States and another in France followed almost 175,000 middle age women for about 20 years. Researchers looked at women with few or no moles and compared their breast cancer risk to women who had a lot of moles.
"Women with a lot of moles are a little more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than were women with very few moles," stated Dr. Ted Gansler, director of medial content for the American Cancer Society, who was not affiliated with the study.
The link between moles and breast cancer may have something to do with estrogen and sex hormones, according to researchers.
Breast cancer and moles are reportedly both affected by hormone levels. The American study found that women with higher levels of estrogen in their blood had more moles.
Scientists have noted that most breast cancers are estrogen sensitive, which means that estrogen drives cancer growth.
"Moles may be an indicator of a particular genetic make-up that predisposes women to be susceptible to cancer," said Barbara Fuhrman, author of an editorial published alongside the new studies and an epidemiologist at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
