Cancer risk in well done cooked meat

A University of Texas study said people who eat meat regularly, especially meat that is well done or cooked at high temperatures, may have a higher chance of developing bladder cancer.

Those with certain genetic traits also appear to be more at risk, according to the 12-year study of 884 people with bladder cancer and 878 without.

Over time, experts have shown cooking meats at high temperatures creates chemicals not present in uncooked meats. Those heterocyclic amines (HCAs) are carcinogenic and are formed from the cooking of meats such as beef, pork and chicken.

The latest study was led by Jie Lin, an assistant professor at the university, and was presented at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting in Washington DC.

People who consumed the most red meat were 48 per cent more likely to suffer bladder cancer than those with the lowest intake. "Higher intakes of beef steaks, pork chops and bacon were each associated with increased bladder cancer risk in a dose-response pattern."

People who ate a lot of fried chicken and fried fish were at "significantly increased risk".