Meat intake, heterocyclic amines and risk of colorectal cancer

A case-control study was conducted in Uruguay, in order to investigate the relationship between heterocyclic amine intake and colorectal cancer risk. The study included 250 cases of colorectal cancer and 500 controls, frequency-matched with the cases on age, sex, and residence. A significant increase in risk of colorectal cancer associated with red meat, beef and fried meat was observed. Heterocyclic amines were associated with a significant increase in the risk of colorectal cancer in males and females. This increased risk persisted after controlling for total energy, total meat and total fat intake. On the other hand, total meat and total fat intake were not longer significant. This latter finding suggests that heterocyclic amine exposure is central in colorectal carcinogenesis.