Consuming Charred Meat May Raise Kidney Cancer Risk

Cancer patients tended to eat more red and white meat, and more of the carcinogenic “char” chemicals caused by grilling, pan frying or barbequing, than people without kidney cancer. (Photo: Getty Images)

People who eat large amounts of meat cooked at high temperature or over an open flame - and are also genetically susceptible - may have a higher risk of kidney cancer, according to a new study. 

Animal muscle, cooked at high temperatures, produces substances called heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which can cause changes in DNA that may increase cancer risk, according to the National Cancer Institute. Population studies have not found a definite link between cooked meat and cancer in humans, but studies using detailed food questionnaires have found that increased consumption of well done, fried or barbecued meats is tied to an increased risk of cancer of the colon, pancreas and prostate.

  

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 “A few previous studies have looked at kidney cancer and these carcinogens, but this is the first study to find an association between one of these specific mutagens (MeIQx) and kidney cancer risk,” said senior author Dr. Xifeng Wu of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. MeIQx is one of the heterocyclic amines formed by high temperature cooking. “This is also the first study to look at genetic variants along with consumption of these carcinogens in relation to kidney cancer risk,” Wu told Reuters Health by email. The researchers compared the dietary patterns and genetic risk profiles of 659 people newly diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma to 699 people without the cancer.