A new study indicates that eating too many hot dogs, sausages, lunch meats, and other processed types of meats may put a person at risk of pancreatic cancer. This study, which was conducted by the Cancer Research Center at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu, is being discussed today at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

This is not the first study that has linked heavy meat consumption to pancreatic cancer, but previous studies have been somewhat inconclusive. In this instance, however, researchers studied over 190,000 men and women of diverse, multi-ethnic backgrounds. When the study began in the mid-1990s, each of the participants completed a questionnaire profiling his or her dietary habits. By the end of the study, 482 of the participants had developed pancreatic cancer.

The results of the seven year study are as follows:

- The people who consumed over 40 grams a day of processed meats were 67 percent more likely to develop pancreatic cancer than those who consumed the lowest amounts.
- Those who ate over 70 grams a day of red meat and/or pork showed a 50 percent increase in their risk of pancreatic cancer.
- Eating fish, poultry, dairy products, and eggs does not appear to increase risks of pancreatic cancer.

Dr. Ute Nöthlings, who was the study’s lead investigator believes the actually processing of these meats may be the root cause for the cancer risk, rather than the fat content. She points out that while both meats and dairy products include fats and saturated fats, eating a diet high in dairy products does not increase one’s risk of cancer.

She wrote, 'The results suggest that carcinogenic substances related to meat preparation, rather than their inherent fat or cholesterol content, might be responsible for the association.' Dr. Nöthlings thinks it is possible that chemical reactions occur during the processing of the meats and that these reactions may be the reason for the increased cancer rates.