Long-term high consumption of red and processed meat may increase the risk of cancer in the colon and rectum, according to research.

　　US researchers followed a cohort of 148,610 adults, with an average age of 63 years from 1982.

　　Participants completed questionnaires at 10-yearly intervals regarding their diet, exercise, medical history and other lifestyle habits.

　　By 2001, there were 1667 new cases of colorectal cancer in the group, according to the report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

　　The participants who consistently ate the most red meat and processed meats had a 50 per cent higher rate of colorectal cancer than those who ate the least red or processed meat.

　　Prolonged high consumption of poultry and fish was marginally associated with about a 25 percent lower risk of colon cancer, but not rectal cancer.

　　The researchers conclude that: 'Our results demonstrate the potential value of examining long-term meat consumption in assessing cancer risk and strengthen the evidence that prolonged high consumption of red and processed meat may increase the risk of cancer in the distal portion of the large intestine.'

　　研究表明，长期大量食用红肉及肉制品会增加患直肠、结肠癌危险。

　　自1882年起，美国研究人员通过问卷方式，对148,610名成年人进行了跟踪研究，内容涉及饮食、运动、医疗及其他生活方式习惯等。研究对象平均年龄为63岁。

　　研究报告指出，至2001年，受调查者中出现了1667例直肠、结肠癌新病例。持续大量食用红肉和肉制品的人比少食者的结肠直肠癌发生率要高50%。禽肉和鱼肉长期食用者得结肠癌的危险率则要低25%。

　　研究人员由此得出结论：肉类长期食用史对评估癌症危险很有价值，这也证明，长期大量食用红肉和肉制品会增加大肠远端癌症危险。