Red meat may cause bowel cancer by damaging genes
Researchers have found that a diet high in red meat causes levels of DNA damage to increase, which may explain why eating red meat is linked to an increased risk of bowel cancer. The DNA damage is caused by substances called N-nitrosocompounds, which are formed in the large bowel after eating red meat. Some of these compounds may combine with DNA and alter it so that it is more likely to undergo harmful changes or mutations that increase the likelihood of cancer.
Cancer research 2006; 66: 1859-1865
Advances 2005/06