Issue Date: July 6, 2003
High-protein hazards
Meaty diets double your cancer risk, but there are safer substitutions.
Many people love the Atkins Diet because they can eat bacon, steaks and hamburgers without guilt. But I think they should be worried about cancer.
"Eating substantial amounts of red meat [beef, pork, veal] may increase the risk of colorectal, pancreatic, breast, prostate and renal cancer," the National Cancer Institute recently declared. The amount of red meat found to incite cancer may be extremely small: only half an ounce a day -- just a big bite -- according to one study. Eating red meat, especially fried or grilled, can double your odds of cancer.
Here's the latest science:
People who ate the most red meat (average 3 ounces daily), especially well-done or fried, had twice the risk of colon cancer compared with those who ate less than half an ounce daily, says a new study by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
Breast cancer risk doubled in postmenopausal women who ate 3 ounces or more of red meat a day compared with women who consumed 1 ounce or less daily, says a new study at the Portland (Ore.) VA Medical Center.
Vanderbilt University investigators found that women who ate the most deep-fried, well-done meat had nearly twice the odds of developing breast cancer as those who ate the least.
The odds of pancreatic cancer doubled in people who ate the most grilled or barbecued red meat (between 3 and 21 ounces a week) compared with non-red meat eaters, finds a recent University of Minnesota study. Eating broiled red meat did not increase the risk.
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7 ways to sidestep cancer and pack in protein
Eat fish or poultry, not red meat. Fish is safest, tests show, and may discourage breast cancer. Women who ate fish three or more times weekly had a 30% lower breast cancer risk than women who ate fish once a week, says the VA study. In another study, eating chicken baked, broiled or barbecued did not raise colon cancer risk. Pan-frying chicken boosted odds 50%.
Cook meat slowly with lower heat. This means stew, bake or microwave. At high heats, proteins in meat (and to a lesser extent in poultry and fish) form heterocyclic amines (HCAs), which are potent carcinogens. Reduced heat creates fewer HCAs. And broiling produces fewer carcinogens than grilling.
Go for rare or medium rare. The longer meat is cooked at high temperatures, the more carcinogens it has. Consistently eating hamburger, beef steak and bacon very well done, instead of rare or medium, boosted women's breast cancer risk nearly five times in a University of Minnesota study.
Eat turkey or soy burgers, not hamburgers. Ground beef must be cooked well done to kill infectious agents, such as e-coli. If you mix antioxidants, such as textured soy protein, mashed blueberries or cherries, tea, garlic or onions, into beef burgers before cooking, you can cut formation of carcinogens by 60% to 90%.
First microwave, then grill. Pre-cooking in the microwave reduces carcinogens produced by grilling.
Use watery sauces, such as teriyaki. Research shows thick tomato barbecue sauce may foster carcinogens.
Avoid nitrite-cured meats. Most cured cold cuts, hot dogs, bacon and ham also contain nitrites that can spur formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines. The late Dr. Robert Atkins himself suggested buying nitrite-free bacon at health-food stores.
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Asian Fish With Vegetables
4 cups shredded savoy cabbage
1 medium red pepper, cut in slivers
6 sliced scallions, with green
2 4-ounce filets of mahi mahi or flounder
Sauce:
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
1/3 cup dry-roasted unsalted peanuts, crushed in blender
2 Tbs. grated fresh ginger
1/3 cup water
1 tsp. cornstarch
3 Tbs. reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 Tb. rice vinegar
1 Tb. mirin (sake vinegar)
Garnish:
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (or parsley)
1 lime
Spread vegetables over bottom of shallow microwave-safe dish. Top with fish. In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients; pour over all.
Cover tightly with microwave plastic wrap, and microwave on high 8-10 minutes. Vegetables will be crisp-tender.
Place each filet on a plate; spoon vegetables and sauce around fish. Garnish with cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice. Serve with brown rice.
Serves: 2.
Per serving (without rice): 232 calories, 28g protein, 23g carbohydrates, 4.2g fat (0.7g saturated), 8g fiber, 1,050mg sodium.
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Scientific sources for this article
Red meat and cancer
Sinha R. , Mutat Res 2002 Sep 30; 506-507:197-204
Meat and colon cancer
Butler LM. Am J Epidemiol 2003 Mar 1; 157(5): 434-45
Meat and breast cancer
Shannon J. Cancer Causes Control 2003 Feb; 14(1): 19-27
Hermann S., et al. Nutr Cancer 2002;44(1): 23-34
Dai Q, Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2002 Sep; 11(9): 801-8
Meat and pancreatic cancer
Anderson KE., Mutat Res 2002 Sep 30:506-507:225-31
Fish and cancer
Shannon J. Cancer Causes Control 2003 Feb; 14(1): 19-27
Butler LM. Am J Epidemiol 2003 Mar 1; 157(5): 434-45
Well-done meat and cancer
Zheng W., J Natl Cancer Inst 1998 Nov 18; 90(22): 1724-9
Contributing Editor Jean Carper, an authority on nutrition, can be contacted at JeanCarper.com.
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