A study has found that while excessive intake of processed meat such as beef and pork can increase the risk of gastric cancer, eating chicken and other while meat decreases such chances, Seoul National University Hospital said Thursday.

The team, led by Professor Park Sang-min of the department of family medicine at the hospital, observed the relationship in a meta-analysis of 43 domestic and international papers to examine the effect of red, processed, and white meat on the incidence of gastric cancer.

A meta-analysis of the papers showed that the relative risk of gastric cancer was 41 percent higher in the group that consumed an abundant amount of red meat compared to the group that ate almost no red meat. The risk was higher for processed meat with the risk being 57 percent higher for the group that ate the most processed meat.

Regarding white meat, however, the relative risk of gastric cancer dropped 20 percent for groups that consumed an abundant amount of white meat than those that did not.

The results of the dose-response meta-analysis showed that the risk of gastric cancer increased 72 percent when eating 50g of processed meat per day, while the risk increased by 26 percent when consuming 100g of red meat per day.

The team also confirmed that, although not statistically significant, the risk of gastric cancer is reduced by 14 percent when consuming 100g of white meat daily.

“The meta-analysis showed that white meat intake was associated with a reduction in the risk of gastric cancer, while red meat and processed meat intake was associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer,” Professor Park said. “Therefore, white meat may be considered a good choice as a protein source.”

Additional studies are needed, however, to clarify the relationship between each type of meat intake and gastric cancer, he added.

The results of the study were published in the Nutrient.