Pan-fried red meat could increase risk of prostate cancer

Men who eat red meat fried at high temperatures could be increasing their risk of prostate cancer, according to a Californian study.

Pan-fried red meat can increase risk of prostate cancer

Researchers at Keck School of Medicine analysed data from nearly 2,000 men who took part in the California Collaborative Prostate Cancer Study.

Participants had provided information on their dietary habits, including the amount and types of red meat they ate, as well as the way they cooked it.

Writing in the journal Carcinogenesis, they found that men who ate more than 1.5 servings of pan-fried red meat each week increased their risk of advanced prostate cancer by 30 per cent.

Those who ate more than 2.5 servings of red meat cooked at high temperatures were 40 per cent more likely to develop the disease.

Research team leader Dr Mariana Stern said: “The observations from this study alone are not enough to make any health recommendations, but given the few modifiable risk factors known for prostate cancer, the understanding of dietary factors and cooking methods are of high public health relevance.”

Previous studies have found a link between diets high in red meat and prostate cancer risk, but evidence has been limited.