Well-done red meat increases chance of prostate cancer

Well-done red meat increases chance of prostate cancer

http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/23/health/well-done-red-meat-prostate-cancer/index.html?hpt=he_c2

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco published a study this week in the Journal PLoS One that found men have a higher risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer if they consume more red meat, especially if the meat is well-done or grilled. They had 500 men recently diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer fill out a detailed questionnaire about their diet, including the amount of meat consumed and how it was prepared, in the past year and compared it to a control group. They found men who ate the most ground beef were 2.3 times more likely to have aggressive prostate cancer and most of that increase is attributed to having the meat well-done. Those who liked their meat medium (or rarer) only had a 12 percent increase in risk.

When meat is grilled, a reaction occurs that causes the formation of two chemicals linked to cancer in animal studies. Those chemicals are heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Although the study relied on the memory of the participants, the researchers felt the results are compelling enough to urge caution and moderation with grilled meat. Almost twenty percent of the male population is expected to develop prostate cancer, ranging from benign tumors needing little to no treatment to highly aggressive leading to death in 1 in 35 patients. Prostate cancer is the most common type following skin cancer in men.