The Revenge of Cooked Piggy

Dr. Greger, author of "How Not to Die", reviews extensive nutritional data and brings his evidence based conclusions to the public through the nonprofit site nutritionfacts.org. In a video, he discusses that the consumption of cooked meat above 212F has been shown to be carcinogenic, causing DNA mutations which are correlated to an increase risk of breast cancer (Greger, 2013). The carcinogens produced are heterocyclic amines which have been shown to potentially cause and exacerbate breast cancer cells. Dr. Greger notes that PhIP (a heterocyclic amine carcinogen found in cooked meat) seems to have potent estrogenic affects. In an in vitro study, researchers were surprised to discover that the PhIP acts as estrogens which can induce the growth of breast tumors (Greger, 2013). Another study completed in 2004 showed that PhIP consumed in cooked meat activates estrogen receptors almost as effectively as estrogen itself (Greger, 2013). Dr. Greger reviewed another study from 2001 to investigate the carcinogen's effect on breast tissue in the body. This study looked at PhIP in the breast milk of women and found that there was an increase concentration in the women who consumed meat and no PhIP was found in the breast milk of the vegetarian subject (DeBruin & Martos & Josephy, 2001).

He is not the only one who acknowledges this! The National Cancer Institute through NIH also states that meats cooked at high temperatures produce heterocyclic amines. They also state that these heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are shown to be mutagenic in laboratory research and may increase the risk for developing cancer (NIH, 2017). According to the National Cancer Institute, cooking any type of meat over 300F is "probably carcinogenic to humans".

I think that it is incredibly important for us as individuals and future health care providers to take a look at what people consume and how this affects the health or disease state of an individual because this information is not made apparent to the public. These types of insights can gear research towards understanding how we can prevent disease and not just treat it. Since nutrition tends to be a controversial topic, we should contemplate our ethics behind food and disease prevention and what that looks like in the world. How does your experience influence your view? Here is some more food for thought..."What is your personal view of health?", "What is the meaning of health to a patient?" I guarantee there are differences. Now what were the key players in those answers, "did disease prevention come up? disease maintenance? equal opportunities for healthcare? happiness? broccoli? shedding big $$$ to big Pharma? consuming heterocyclic amines in cooked piggy?" Jokes aside, I find this very interesting because the practice of medicine is more than knowing the science. It is enhanced through contemplating our personal experiences, which guides our growth and knowledge base as professionals and openness to view a patient as a whole person.


References

DeBruin, L. S., Martos, P. A., & Josephy, P. D. (2001, November). Detection of PhIP (2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine) in the milk of healthy women. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11712910.

Greger,M. Estrogenic Cooked-Meat Carcinogens. (2013, January 16). Retrieved from https://nutritionfacts.org/video/estrogenic-cooked-meat-carcinogens/.

Lauber, S. N., Ali, S., & Gooderham, N. J. (2004, December). The cooked food derived carcinogen 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b] pyridine is a potent oestrogen: a mechanistic basis for its tissue-specific carcinogenicity. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15319301.

NIH: Chemicals in Meat Cooked at High Temperatures and Cancer Risk. (2017). Retrieved from https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/diet/cooked-meats-fact-sheet.