The 12-year follow-up study included 90,659 women aged 26–46 at baseline who completed food frequency questionnaires at four-year intervals.
It was found that 1,021 women developed invasive breast cancer, including 512 cases that were oestrogen and progesterone receptor positive.
Compared with women who ate fewer than three portions of red meat a week, those who ate more than one and a half portions a day had a 97 per cent increased relative risk of developing a hormone receptor positive breast cancer.
The researchers suggest the increased risk could be the result of carcinogens in cooked or processed meat.
