(HealthDay News) — Processed red meat intake is associated with an increased incidence of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) in a Japanese population, according to a study published in Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine.

Researchers examined the association between AML/MDS incidence and meat, fish, or fatty acid intake using data from 93,366 participants in the Japan Public Health Center-based prospective study. Participants were followed for 1,345,002 person-years.

The researchers identified 67 AML and 49 MDS cases during the follow-up period. Increased intake of processed red meat was associated with an increased incidence of AML/MDS, with a hazard ratio of 1.63 for the highest vs the lowest tertile. No associations were seen with AML/MDS and intake of other foods and fatty acids.


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“Our results showed that a higher processed red meat intake was associated with an increased incidence of AML/MDS,” the researchers wrote. “On the other hand, other intakes of interest had a null association with the incidence of AML/MDS.”

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