Intake of Meat Mutagens and Risk of Prostate Cancer in a Cohort of U.S. Health Professionals

Abstract

Background: Evidence relating heterocyclic aromatic amines (HCA), associated with high-temperature cooking methods, to prostate cancer risk is inconsistent.

Methods: In a large U.S. cohort study, intakes of 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP), 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx), and 2-amino-3,4,8-trimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (DiMeIQx) and a meat-derived mutagenicity (MDM) index were assessed using a cooking method questionnaire administered in 1996. Until 2010, 2,770 prostate cancer cases were observed among 26,030 participants.

Results: Intake of PhIP from red meat was statistically significantly associated with total prostate cancer risk (top vs. bottom quintile HR, 1.18; 95% confidence intervals; CI, 1.03-1.35), but not other HCAs (MeIQx, 1.12; 0.98-1.27, PhIP from white meat, 1.08; 0.95-1.22, DiMeIQx, 1.09; 0.97-1.21) or MDM (1.13; 1.00-1.28). For high-grade (Gleason sum 7 with pattern 4+3 and Gleason sum 8-10, n = 483 cases) and advanced cancers (n = 281), we only observed positive associations for PhIP from red meat (top vs. bottom quintile: high grade: HR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.04-1.98, Ptrend = 0.03; advanced: HR, 1.50; 95% CI, 0.99-2.26; Ptrend = 0.12), but associations for advanced cancers did not reach statistical significance. Observed associations remained similar after adjustment for total, unprocessed, or processed red meat intake.

Conclusion: Observed positive associations between PhIP intake from red meat and prostate cancer, particularly high-grade and possibly also advanced prostate cancer, need to be confirmed in other studies.

Impact: Results do not provide strong evidence that HCAs increase risk of prostate cancers.