Hi all cooked meat eaters,

the following was posted to the Bionomic Nutrition Forum. It says some-
thing about the risks with rare and well-done meat. Hope this is inte-
resting for our PCF eaters.

Stefan

E-Mail: [log in to unmask]
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Title
Risk of adenocarcinoma of the stomach and esophagus with meat
cooking method and doneness preference.

Author
Ward MH ; Sinha R ; Heineman EF ; Rothman N ; Markin R ;
Weisenburger DD ; Correa P ; Zahm SH

Address
Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer
Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892-7364, USA.

Source
Int J Cancer; 71(1):14-9 1997

Abstract
Meats cooked at high temperatures (frying, grilling) and for a long
duration contain heterocyclic amines (HCAs), which are both mutagens
and animal carcinogens. Additionally, barbecuing/grilling of meats
produces polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Consumption of
well-done meat has been associated with an increased risk of colon
cancer but has not been evaluated as a risk factor for stomach or
esophageal cancers. We conducted a population-based case-control
study in 66 counties of eastern Nebraska. Telephone interviews were
conducted with white men and women diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of
the stomach (n = 176) and esophagus (n = 143) between July 1988 and
June 1993 and 502 controls. The dietary assessment included several
questions about usual cooking methods for meats and doneness
preference for beef. High intake of red meat was associated with
increased risks for both stomach and esophageal cancers. Overall,
broiling or frying of beef, chicken or pork was not associated with
the risk of these tumors. Barbecuing/grilling, reported as the usual
cooking method for a small number of study participants, was
associated with an elevated risk of stomach and esophageal cancers.
After excluding those who reported usually barbecuing/grilling, a
source of both PAHs and HCAs, we evaluated doneness level as a
surrogate for HCA exposure. Compared to a preference for rare/medium
rare beef, odds ratios were 2.4 for medium, 2.4 for medium well and
3.2 for well done, a significant positive trend. Doneness level was
not associated with a significant trend in risk of esophageal cancer.