DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.69950/jhc2025v9i1s1

Editorial

Red Meat: A Potential Carcinogen to Human

*Rahman DA

*Dr. DM Arifur Rahman, Associate Professor (Histopathology), TMSS Medical College, Bogura. Bangladesh. arifurrahmandm@gmail.com

 

Meat is one of the important sources of high quality protein, having appealing taste and flavor. The annual per capita meat consumption has steadily increased from 32.10 kg/year in 1961 to 62.57 kg/year in 2019. This trend is particularly noteworthy in developing countries.¹ Usually, the meat is classified into red meat and white meat. Although there is no universally accepted definition, the red meat is defined as mammalian muscle meat, including beef, goat, lamb, and pork, while white meat refers to non-mammalian sources such as poultry, seafood and fish.²Red meat contains more total iron and haem iron than white meat. Beef, lamb, goat and horse meat are richer in haem iron and total iron than pork meat. The age of the animal is also important in iron intake, as older animals contain more iron. Red meat contains high biological value proteins and essential micronutrients, including vitamins and minerals.³

 

Recent evidence suggesting that higher red meat consumption (RMC) is injurious to human health. Several epidemiological and pathological studies have reported a positive association between RMC and the incidence of cancer particularly breast, prostate, pancreatic and colorectal cancer.^2,4,5 No positive association has been found between the consumption of white meat and cancer incidence.⁶ Meat processing, such as curing and smoking, can result in formation of carcinogenic chemicals, including N-nitroso-compounds (NOC) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Cooking improves the digestibility and palatability of meat, but can

also produce known or suspected carcinogens, including heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAA) and PAH. High-temperature cooking by panfrying, grilling, or barbecuing generally produces the highest amounts of these chemicals.^7,8

 

Data on the association of red meat consumption with colorectal cancer were available from 14 cohort studies. Positive associations were seen with high versus low consumption of red meat in half of those studies.⁹ Haem iron mediates formation of N-nitroso-compounds (NOC), and of lipid oxidation products in the digestive tract of human beings and rodents. Meat heated at a high temperature contains heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAA). HAA is genotoxic. Meat smoked or cooked over a heated surface or open flame contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). These chemicals cause DNA damage, but little direct evidence exists that this occurs following meat consumption.⁹   Although there is some controversy over the direct association between red meat consumption and cancer risk, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified red meat as a Group 2A carcinogen (probably carcinogenic to humans) in 2015.¹⁰

References

1. Godfray HCJ, Aveyard P, Garnett T, Hall JW, Key TJ, Lorimer J, Pierrehumbert RT, Scarborough P, Springmann M, Jebb SA. Meat consumption, health, and the environment. Science. 2018 Jul 20; 361(6399):eaam5324. doi: 10.1126/science.aam5324. PMID: 30026199.
2. Ma H, Qi X. Red Meat Consumption and Cancer Risk: A Systematic Analysis of Global Data. Foods. 2023 Nov 17;12(22):4164. doi: 10.3390/foods12224164. PMID: 38002221; PMCID: PMC10670314.
3. IARC Working Group on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans. Red Meat and Processed Meat. Lyon (FR): International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2018. (IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans, No. 114.) 1. EXPOSURE DATA. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507973/
4. Lo JJ, Park YM, Sinha R, Sandler DP. Association between meat consumption and risk of breast cancer: Findings from the Sister Study. Int J Cancer. 2020 Apr 15; 146(8):2156-2165. doi: 10.1002/ijc.32547. Epub 2019 Aug 6. PMID: 31389007; PMCID: PMC7002279.

Bradbury KE, Murphy N, Key TJ. Diet and colorectal cancer in UK Biobank: a prospective study. Int J Epidemiol. 2020 Feb 1; 49(1):246-258. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyz064. PMID: 30993317; PMCID: PMC7124508.

1. Bouvard V, Loomis D, Guyton KZ, Grosse Y, Ghissassi FE, Benbrahim-Tallaa L, Guha N, Mattock H, Straif K; International Agency for Research on Cancer Monograph Working Group. Carcinogenicity of consumption of red and processed meat. Lancet Oncol. 2015 Dec; 16(16):1599-600. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(15)00444-1. Epub 2015 Oct 29. PMID: 26514947.
2. Alaejos MS, Afonso AM. Factors that affect the content of heterocyclic aromatic amines in foods. Comprehensive reviews in food science and food safety. 2011 Mar; 10(2):52-108.
3. Alomirah H, Al-Zenki S, Al-Hooti S, Zaghloul S, Sawaya W, Ahmed N, Kannan K. Concentrations and dietary exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from grilled and smoked foods. Food control. 2011 Dec 1;22(12):2028-35.
4. Bouvard V, Loomis D, Guyton KZ, Grosse Y, El Ghissassi F, Benbrahim-Tallaa L, Guha N, Mattock H, Straif K. Carcinogenicity of consumption of red and processed meat. The Lancet Oncology. 2015 Dec 1;16(16):1599-600.
5. Vieira AR, Abar L, Chan DSM, Vingeliene S, Polemiti E, Stevens C, Greenwood D, Norat T. Foods and beverages and colorectal cancer risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies, an update of the evidence of the WCRF-AICR Continuous Update Project. Ann Oncol. 2017 Aug 1; 28(8):1788-1802. doi: 10.1093/annonc/mdx171. PMID: 28407090.