Eating Red Meat Can Spur Cancer Growth

Red meat and milk products could contribute to the increased risk of cancerous tumors.

Eating red meat and milk products could contribute to the increased risk of cancerous tumors, new findings suggest.

The inflammation resulting from a molecule introduced through consumption of meat and dairy foods could promote tumor growth, say the researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, led by Ajit Varki, M.D.

A non-human cellular molecule called N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc). can be incorporated into human tissues as a result of eating red meat.

The body then develops anti-Neu5Gc antibodies – an immune response that could potentially lead to chronic inflammation, suggested Varki.

“We’ve shown that tumor tissues contain much more Neu5Gc than is usually found in normal human tissues,” said Varki. “We therefore surmised that Neu5Gc must somehow benefit tumors.”

It has been recognized by scientists for some time that chronic inflammation can actually stimulate cancer, Varki explained.

Others have previously shown that humans who take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (commonly known as NSAIDs) have a reduced risk of cancer.

“Taken together, our data indicate that chronic inflammation results from interaction of Neu5Gc accumulated in our bodies from eating red meat with the antibodies that circulate as an immune response to this non-human molecule – and this may contribute to cancer risk,” said Varki.