Red Meat Intake Allegedly Linked to Kidney Cancer

A recent study has reportedly suggested a link between red and cooked
meat consumption and renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Carrie Daniel, et al., “Large
prospective investigation of meat intake, related mutagens, and risk of renal
cell carcinoma,” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, December 2011.
Researchers apparently monitored approximately 492,000 participants over
nine years using a “detailed dietary assessment linked to a database of heme
iron, heterocyclic amines (HCA), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs),
nitrate, and nitrite concentrations in cooked and processed meats.” According
to the study abstract, the results revealed that participants who consumed
approximately 2.2 ounces of cooked red or processed meat per 1,000 calories
were 19 percent more likely to be diagnosed with RCC than those consuming
less than 0.3 ounces per 1,000 calories.

“Red meat intake may increase the risk of RCC through mechanisms related to
the cooking compounds BaP and PhIP,” speculated the study’s authors, who
elsewhere urged consumers to follow the American Cancer Society guidelines
for preparing and consuming meat. As the lead author explained to Reuters,
these cooking compounds “can be reduced by avoiding direct exposure of
meat to an open flame or a hot metal surface, reducing the cooking time,
and using a microwave oven to partially cook meat before exposing it to high
temperatures.” See Reuters, December 28, 2011.