Sugar Links Eating Red Meat to Risk of Cancer

While people who eat a lot of red meat are at a higher risk of certain cancers, other carnivores are not. This is why scientists decided to investigate the possible tumor-forming role of a sugar called Neu5Gc, which is naturally found in most mammals but not in humans.

In this latest study, the researchers fed NEu5Gc to mice engineered to be deficient in the sugar, like humans. In the end, they found that the mice fed this sugar were significantly more at risk for developing spontaneous cancers. This, in particular, is a key link between red meat consumption and cancer.

"Until now, all of our evidence linking Neu5Gc to cancer was circumstantial or indirectly predicted from somewhat artificial experimental setups," said Ajit Varki, one of the researchers, in a news release. "This is the first time we have directly shown that mimicking the exact situation in humans-feeding non-human Neu5Gc and inducing anti-Neu5Gc antibodies-increases spontaneous cancers in mice."

Previously, the researchers discovered that animal Neu5Gc can be absorbed into human tissues. In this latest study, the scientists hypothesized that eating red meat could lead to inflammation if the body's immune system is constantly generating anitbodies against consumed animal Neu5Gc, a foreign molecule. This chronic inflammation is known to promote tumor formation.

"The final proof in humans will be much harder to come by," said Varki. "But on a more general note, this work may also help explain potential connections of red meat consumption to other diseases exacerbated by chronic inflammation, such as atherosclerosis and type 2 diabetes. Of course, moderate amounts of red meat can be a source of good nutrition for young people. We hope that our work will eventually lead the way to practical solutions for this catch-22."

The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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