Well-cooked meat, including barbecue and steak, increases the risk of kidney cancer, according to a new study conducted by a team of scientists from the University of Texas, News.co.au reported.
Weeks ago, the World Health Organization released a study revealing that processed meat, like hotdogs and bacon, can cause stomach and colon cancer. And now, a study from the University of Texas claims that well-cooked meat or meat cooked at high temperatures or open flame (pan-fried, grilled or barbecued), because of particular cooking compounds, may increase the risk of developing cancer.
The new study examined the diet and genetics of 659 patients who are recently diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma, which is the most common form of kidney cancer for adults. The study also took into consideration 699 healthy controls. Xifeng Wu of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston lead the study.
The researchers found out that those diagnosed with kidney cancer were consuming more red and white meat in comparison to individuals without cancer. They also discovered that cancer patients were consuming more cancer-causing chemicals, which is produced by cooking meat in high temperatures or over an open flame. Furthermore, individuals with certain genetics appeared to be more susceptible to cancer.
"Our study provides additional evidence for the role of red meat, white meat and 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenyl-imidazo (4,5-b) pyridine (PhIP) in RCC [renal cell carcinoma] etiology and is the first study of dietary intake of mutagenic compounds and RCC risk to suggest an association with 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo (4,5-f) quinoxaline (MelQx), one of the most abundant heterocyclic amines commonly created in grilling, barbecuing, and pan-frying meats at high temperatures," Xifeng Wu said (via Business Standard).
"Also, our study is the first to evaluate the impact of RCC susceptibility variants, identified via genome-wide association studies, on the association between intake of mutagenic compounds and RCC risk," he added.
According to American Cancer Society (via San Diego Union-Tribune), kidney cancer is not very common; in fact, the lifetime risk for developing such kind of cancer is only 1.6 percent.
Nutrition researcher Dr. Ian Johnson, who is also the Emeritus Fellow of the Institute of Food Research in Britain said that eating habits had probably caused the increasing rate of kidney cancer in higher-income countries. He also commented that while the new study about kidney cancer-causing well-cooked meat is interesting and that the findings are plausible, there is still a need for further research.
"In the meantime, it is prudent to stay within Department of Health guidelines for red and processed meat consumption, but renal cell carcinoma is a relatively uncommon cancer... and so any extra risk due to eating meat will be quite small overall," Dr. Johnson said.
