High intake of red and processed meat is associated with which cancers?

• A. Heart disease
• B. Hypertension
• C. Colorectal & breast cancers
• D. Heart failure

Answer: (C)

A key idea here is that what we eat can influence cancer risk, and red and processed meat have been linked to certain cancers, most strongly colorectal cancer. Processed meats contain preservatives like nitrites that can form cancer-causing compounds, and cooking red meat at high temperatures can produce substances that damage DNA. These mechanisms help explain why higher consumption is associated with colorectal cancer, and they also lead to some studies suggesting a possible link to breast cancer, though the evidence for breast cancer is less consistent. The other options describe cardiovascular conditions rather than cancers, so they don’t address the cancer risk question.