Metabolic Evidence Rather Than Amounts of Red or Processed Meat as a Risk on Korean Colorectal Cancer.

Eunbee Kim,Eunjae Kim,Yoon Hee Cho,Mihi Yang,Un Jae Lee,Myung-Ah Lee,Joon Seok Lee,Michael Kwong,Alfred N Fonteh

doi:10.3390/metabo11070462

Abstract

The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) has increased in Korea, a newly-industrialized Asian country, with the dramatic increase of meat intake. To assess the risks of red or processed meat consumption on CRC, we performed a case-control study with biological monitoring of urinary1-OHP, PhIP, and MeIQx for the meat exposure; dG-C8 MeIQx and dG-C8 PhIP for HCA-induced DNA adducts; and homocysteine and C-reactive protein (CRP) in blood as well as malondialdehyde (MDA) and 31fatty acids in urine for inflammation and lipid alteration. We further analyzed global DNA methylation and expression of 15 CRC-related genes. As a result, the consumption of red or processed meat was not higher in the cases than in the controls. However, urinary MeIQx and PhIP were associated with the intake of red meat and urinary 1-OHP. MDA and multiple fatty acids were related to the exposure biomarkers. Most of the 31 fatty acids and multiple saturated fatty acids were higher in the cases than in the controls. Finally, the cases showed upregulation of PTGS2, which is related to pro-inflammatory fatty acids. This study describes indirect mechanisms of CRC via lipid alteration with a series of processes including exposure to red meat, alteration of fatty acids, and relevant gene expression.

Highlights

The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) has increased worldwide
Red meat and lipid consumption did not differ between the cases and controls, while the control group even consumed more processed meat than the cases (Table 1)
The cases were newly diagnosed with CRC; most were at early stages of the disease, and most locations of CRC were distal (Table S1)

Summary

Introduction

The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) has increased worldwide. Organization (WHO) and International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) [1] recently declared that over-intake of red meat and/or processed meat increases CRC risk, based on 10 cohorts and a meta-analysis [1]. A recent Global Health Data Exchange review indicated that red and processed meat intake accounts for 1.77% and 1.18%, respectively, of worldwide mortality of CRC [2]. Rapid industrialization has brought dramatic changes in Korean lifestyles and patterns of food consumption toward a more Western diet. This change in diet has been suspected as one of the main causes for the increased incidence of CRC in Korea. Korean meat consumption dramatically increased during 1970–2005, from 10.4 g to 75 g/day [4]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion