A high consumption of red meat (beef, pork, and lamb) has been known to cause many health problems, a major one being cancer. Studies have linked red meat consumption to breast cancer, colon cancer, and lung cancer. Unfortunately, the exact reason as to why red meat consumption causes cancer was unknown. It was previously believed that cancer-causing compounds created from grilling was the reason, but the consumption of grilled fish or grilled chicken did not appear to cause the same health problems. Fortunately, a recent discovery may serve to directly explain the relationship between red meat consumption and cancer.
Image source: Adam Gault
Researchers discovered that a sugar molecule called Neu5Gc, found in red meat, causes cancer when consumed by humans. Neu5Gc is present in most mammals, but the molecule is not naturally found in humans. The researchers surveyed common foods and found that red meats were rich in Neu5Gc. Having previously discovered that Neu5Gc could be absorbed into human tissues through the bloodstream, the researchers believed that the human body’s immune system would respond to the foreign Neu5Gc molecules by producing antibodies; the constant production of antibodies could lead to inflammation which promotes tumor formation. The researchers conducted their study on mice engineered to be similar to humans; these mice did not have their own Neu5Gc and would produce antibodies against it if it was introduced into their bodies. When the mice were given Neu5Gc, inflammation was observed and tumor formation increased five-fold.
The discovery of Neu5Gc’s role in causing cancer may lead to the development of methods to prevent health problems caused by eating red meat. Though the results of this study may seem alarming and may even seem to suggest that you shouldn’t eat red meat if you don’t want cancer, you should only be worried if you consume red meat very frequently; eating red meat in moderate proportions can still be a good source of nutrition.
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