Barbecued meat ups bladder cancer risk--study
POSTED April 20, 2010 - 17:48 | POSTED BY Kangna Agarwal
Last edited by Kangna Agarwal on April 20, 2010 - 17:54
Findings of the study suggest that over doing the meat until it is charred produces cancer causing chemicals which may cause the condition.
More than 1600 individuals studied
To reach this conclusion, researchers from the University of Texas looked at 884 patients with bladder cancer and compared them with 878 health people without the condition. For the study, they were matched by age, gender, and ethnicity.
To arrive at better comparative results, the participants’ were asked to fill in questionnaires and provide complete detail of their dietary habits.
The researchers also collected their DNA samples to identify any variations in the way each individual metabolized the cooked meat.
The participants were then followed for a period of 12 years.
Outcome of the study
Analysis revealed that cooking meat at higher temperatures produces three major types of the cancer-causing chemicals, collectively known as heterocyclic amines (HCAs) that can cause cancer.
It was found those who had consumed more amounts of red meat such as steaks, pork chops and bacon were two-and-a-half times more likely to have bladder cancer than others who consumed very less of the red meat.
However, chicken and fish when fried were also found to be equally culpable in causing cancer-like condition.
Previous research has linked charred meat to pancreatic and bowel cancer.
Lead author of the study, Professor Xifeng Wu, told the American Association for Cancer Research, "This research reinforces the relationship between diet and cancer.
"These results strongly support what we suspected - people who eat a lot of red meat, particularly well-done red meat, such as fried or barbecued, seem to have a higher likelihood of bladder cancer."
Despite the convincing evidence shown by the study, cancer experts have outlined the need for more research to confirm whether or not regular consumption of red meat could enhance bladder cancer risk together with its cooking method.
The study was presented at a U.S. cancer research conference.
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