Red and processed meat intake was inversely associated with melanoma risk in both white men and women in a recent study that investigated the association between red and processed meat intake and melanoma risk. Dietary information was assessed using food frequency questionnaires in 2 prospective cohorts: 75,263 women from the Nurses’ Health Study (1984–2010) and 48,523 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1986–2010). Melanoma cases were confirmed by review of pathological records. Pooled multivariable hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models. Investigators found:

• A total of 679 female and 639 male melanoma cases were documented during follow-up.
• Red and processed meat intake was inversely associated with melanoma risk; the pooled HRs (95% CIs) of the 2 cohorts were 1.00 (reference), 1.00 (0.87 – 1.14), 0.98 (0.86 – 1.13), 0.89 (0.77 – 1.02), and 0.81 (0.70 – 0.95) for increasing quintiles of intake.