People who eat steak daily are massively increasing their risk of developing bowel cancer, the British government has warned.
The government wants people to cut their daily helpings of red meat to 70g – just 2.5 ounces.
It says eating 90g or more of red meat a day increases the risk of cancer.
The limit is about half the minimum size of a steak in a steak-house – of about six ounces.
The announcement is part of a government plan to "nudge" people into taking action to stop cancer.
The new advice says two beef burgers a day are within the limit – as is a single lamb chop or two slices from a roast joint.
Some 16,500 people a year die from bowel cancer and twice that many contract the disease.
Some 42 per cent of men are thought to exceed the recommended daily limit for meat consumption – and just 12 per cent of women.
Interim chief medical officer Professor Dame Sally Davies said: "Following simple diet and lifestyle advice can help protect against cancer.
"Red meat can be part of a healthy balanced diet. It is a good source of protein and vitamins and minerals, such as iron, selenium, zinc and B vitamins.
"But people who eat a lot of red and processed meat should consider cutting down. The occasional steak or extra few slices of lamb is fine but regularly eating a lot could increase your risk of bowel cancer."
Peter Baker, of the Men’s Health Forum, said men need to ensure that large helpings of meat are an "occasional" event.
He said: "Men who enjoy regular breakfast fry-ups or roast beef dinners will be surprised to learn that eating too much red or processed meat might increase their risk of bowel cancer.
"This is a health benefit surely worth giving up a few sausages for."
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