Red meat 'raises bowel cancer risk' - Telegraph.co.uk

New findings meant the charity could now say there was "convincing" evidence that eating fibre-rich foods like fruit and vegetables protects against bowel cancer. A previous report in 2007 only said this was a "probable" effect.

The same report concluded there was convincing evidence that being physically active reduces bowel cancer risk.

Teresa Nightingale, general manager of the WCRF, said of today's report: "We estimate that about 43 per cent of bowel cancers cases in the UK could be prevented through these sorts of changes. That is about 17,000 cases every year."

Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in Britain, after breast and lung cancer. It causes about 15,000 deaths a year.