Meat Barbequed, Grilled Increases Risk Of Kidney Cancer

Previous studies suggest that charring meat may increase the formation of certain cancer-causing compounds. Now, researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have linked the consumption of meat cooked at high temperatures to an increased risk of kidney cancer, according to a new study.

The study authors found that kidney cancer patients in the study ate more red and white meat than other participants. They also ate more meat cooked at higher temperatures over an open flame that was barbecued, pan-fried, or grilled. 

During the study, researchers looked at both diets and genetic information on about 700 University of Texas MD Anderson cancer patients who had recently been diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma (RCC)--the most common form of kidney cancer. Then, they compared them with close to the same amount of healthy men and women.

"We found elevated RCC risk associated with both meat intake and meat-cooking mutagens, suggesting independent effect of meat-cooking mutagens on RCC risk," said Dr. Xifeng Wu, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Texas, in a news release. "Our findings support reducing consumption of meat, especially meat cooked at high temperatures or over an open flame as a public health intervention to reduce RCC risk and burden."

The study results also showed that consumption of the carcinogen 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenyl-imidazo(4,5-b) pyridine, or PhIP, increased RCC risk by 54 percent, and nearly doubled the risk with consumption of the amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo(4,5-f) quinoxaline, or MelQx--both of which can result from cooking meat at high temperature or over open flame. Additionally, people with variations in the gene ITPR2 -- a gene already associated with cancer and obesity risk -- are more vulnerable to the effects of PhIP, researchers say. 

The study is published in the journal Cancer.

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