Frying, grilling, broiling or cooking on coal can potentially induce these changes. Haem in meat can act as a nitrosating agent promoting the formation of N-nitroso compounds. Darker meats are more abundant in haem than white meats and therefore, high consumption of red meat (beef, pork, or lamb) could increase the risk of Imatinib molecular weight colorectal cancer (9-13). Haem iron has been positively associated in the literature with the development of colonic polyps (14), adenomas

(15) and colorectal Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical cancer (16-18). Other studies including the Nurses’ Health Study did not show such association (19-21). Furthermore, colorectal carcinogenesis could involve the secretion of insulin as a response to red and processed meats and thus subsequent activation of insulin and Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical insulin growth factor-1 receptors, may lead to increased cell proliferation and reduced apoptosis (22). The association of total or red meat cooked at high temperatures and increased risk of colorectal cancer has been shown in some case-control

studies (23-25) but not in others (26). High consumption of red meat such as beef, pork, or lamb Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical was associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer in both men and women in cohort studies (27,28). Data from the Health Professionals Follow-up study (HPFS) cohort showed a three-fold increase risk of colon cancer in subjects who consumed red meat more than five times in a week (29). Furthermore, it showed an increased risk of developing distal colon adenoma. A meta-analysis from 2002 by Norat et al. showed a 33% increased risk of colorectal cancer in people consuming higher levels of red and processed

Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical meat (30). A systematic review of prospective studies by Sandhu et al. determined that an increase of 100 g in daily consumption of all meat or red meat was associated with a 12-17% increase in risk of colorectal cancer (31). However contrary to this, a prospective cohort study of 45,496 women by the National Cancer Institute (32), showed no association between consumption of red meat, processed meat, or well-cooked meat and colorectal Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical cancer risk. Other studies have also been unable to support a role of fresh meat and dietary fat in the etiology Carfilzomib of colon cancer (28,33). In 2007, the research ‘Expert Report’ of the second world cancer research fund/selleck inhibitor American research concluded that intake of red and processed meat increases the risk of colorectal cancer (34), however, more recent reviews of prospective epidemiological studies found that there is not enough epidemiological evidence to link red and processed meat with colorectal cancer (35,36). A recent meta-analysis of prospective studies by Chan et al. concluded that processed and red meat is associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer, and a linear increase in risk was reported for intake of red and processed meats up to 140 g/day.