Korean scientists have found that an ingredient commonly found in processed meats and cheeses may promote and speed up the growth of lung cancer tumours.
A team at Seoul National University carried out tests on mice with lung cancer, which were given a diet of 0.5 per cent or one per cent inorganic phosphate for four weeks.
The researchers found that mice which had consumed the diet containing one per cent inorganic phosphate tended to have larger tumours which grew more aggressively, according to researcher Dr Myung-Haing Cho.
Dr Cho, whose findings are published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, commented: 'Our study indicates that increased intake of inorganic phosphates strongly stimulates lung cancer development in mice and suggests that dietary regulation of inorganic phosphates may be critical for lung cancer treatment as well as prevention.'
This is not the first time a study has linked processed meats with cancer, as a study published last year by the World Cancer Research Fund found that people who eat 150g of processed meat a day are 63 per cent more likely to develop bowel cancer.