<<snip>>
This is the first study to show the promotion of experimental carcinogenesis by
dietary meat and the association with heme intake.
<,snip>>

J Nutr. 2004 Oct;134(10):2711-6. Related Articles, Links  

Beef meat and blood sausage promote the formation of azoxymethane-induced
mucin-depleted foci and aberrant crypt foci in rat colons.

Pierre F, Freeman A, Tache S, Van der Meer R, Corpet DE.

Ecole Nationale Veterinaire Toulouse, UMR INRA-ENVT Xenobiotiques, 23 Capelles,
31076 Toulouse, France;

Red meat intake is associated with colon cancer risk. Puzzlingly, meat does not
promote carcinogenesis in rat studies. However, we demonstrated previously that
dietary heme promotes aberrant crypt foci (ACF) formation in rats given a
low-calcium diet. Here, we tested the hypothesis that heme-rich meats promote
colon carcinogenesis in rats treated with azoxymethane and fed low-calcium
diets (0.8 g/kg). Three meat-based diets were formulated to contain varying
concentrations of heme by the addition of raw chicken (low heme), beef (medium
heme), or black pudding (blood sausage; high heme). The no-heme control diet
was supplemented with ferric citrate and the heme control diet with hemoglobin
to match iron and heme concentrations in the beef diet, respectively. After 100
d, colons were scored for ACF and mucin-depleted foci (MDF). Fecal water was
assayed for lipoperoxides and cytotoxicity. Only diets with heme promoted the
formation of MDF, but all meat diets promoted ACF formation. The number of
MDF/colon was 0.55 +/- 0.68 in controls, but 1.2 +/- 0.6 (P = 0.13), 1.9 +/-
1.4 (P < 0.01), and 3.0 +/- 1.2 (P < 0.001) in chicken-, beef-, and black
pudding-fed rats. MDF promotion by the high-heme black pudding diet was greater
than that by the medium-heme beef diet. The number of ACF/colon was 72 +/- 16
in controls, but 91 +/- 18, 100 +/- 13, and 103 +/- 14 in chicken-, beef-, and
black pudding-fed rats (all P < 0.001). ACF and MDF did not differ between rats
fed the beef diet and those fed the heme control diet. MDF promotion was
correlated with high fecal water lipoperoxides and cytotoxicity (r = 0.65, P <
0.01). This is the first study to show the promotion of experimental
carcinogenesis by dietary meat and the association with heme intake.

PMID: 15465771 [PubMed - in process]

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