High Meat Consumption Linked to Kidney Cancer

Amy Taylor November 19, 2015

Diets high in meat and low in fruits and vegetables have long been linked to many health problems, including heart disease and obesity. Now, new research reinforces the need to cut down on meat consumption as it can also raise the risk of a person developing kidney cancer.

Meat consumption raises cancer risk due to the carcinogenic compounds created by certain cooking techniques, such as pan-frying and barbecuing. The new study shows a link between high meat consumption and renal cell carcinoma - the most common form of kidney cancer. According to Cancer Research UK, this particular type of cancer comprises more than 8 in every 10 (80%) kidney cancers diagnosed in the country.

According to the researchers from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre, a possible mechanism could be ingestion of meat-cooking mutagens - harmful compounds created when the meat is cooked in certain way. When cooked in high temperatures or over an open flame, meat is known to result in the formation of carcinogens.

They note that kidney is a biochemically active organ responsible for filtering many harmful toxins from the body, and therefore it make sense to investigate the effects of dietary intake, including carcinogens, on kidney cancer risk.

To show the factors contributing to kidney cancer risk, the researchers surveyed the eating patterns and collected genetic information from 659 MD Anderson patients newly diagnosed with RCC and 699 healthy subjects recruited from the community.

"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 Xifeng Wu, M.D., Ph.D., professor, Epidemiology and senior author of the study.

Their findings showed that kidney cancer patients consumed more red and white meat compared to healthy individuals. The researchers also identified a 54 per cent increased risk associated with PhIP intake and a nearly twofold increase associated with MeIQx intake. This is the first study to identify an association between kidney cancer risk and dietary MeIQx.

The study also suggests that cooking method is an important factor contributing to the elevated RCC risk associated with consuming more meat, as both red and white meat resulted in increased risk, explained Wu.

"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," he added.

The report was published in the journal Cancer.