A recent study suggests that the meat-based “Western diet” and the traditional salty “Japanese diet” are equally bad for you in terms of colon cancer — especially if you are a woman.

Researchers in Japan found that among more than 42,000 adults followed for 10 years, women (but not men) with either a Western pattern of eating or a diet heavy in traditional Japanese foods like salted fish and pickled vegetables had a higher risk of colon cancer compared with women who were deemed healthy eaters.

The survey studied the effects of three dietary patterns: a “Western diet” high in meat, poultry, cheese and bread and butter; a “traditional Japanese diet” of rice, miso soup, salted fish and pickled vegetables; and a “healthy diet” of fruits, vegetables, soy products, beans and dairy.

Both the Western and traditional Japanese diets doubled the risk of colon cancer among women, while the healthy diet showed no link to colon cancer.