An epidemiologic approach to studying heterocyclic amines.

High consumption of well-cooked red meat that contains carcinogenic heterocyclic amines is associated with a greater risk of colorectal adenoma, breast cancer, and lung cancer.

This research work was carried out to evaluate the association of heterocyclic amine (HCA)  intake with cancer development risk. Researchers analyzed data on meat types, cooking methods, doneness level, HCA intake, and cancer biomarkers obtained from the HCA database and several metabolic, epidemiologic, and case-control studies.

Researchers discovered that well-cooked meat produces carcinogenic and mutagenic HCAs, such as MelQx, DiMelQx, and PhlP. These HCAs were found to increase the risk of developing colorectal adenoma, breast cancer, and lung cancer in both smokers and non-smokers. This analysis supports the view that high intake of well-cooked red meat and HCAs contributes positively to the development of lung cancer, breast cancer, and colorectal adenoma.