Red meat cancer link explained --and additional research still needed

San Diego Union Tribune had a front page article by Bradley Fikes that explains new research concerning the link between red meat and cancer:  Red meat cancer link explained | UTSanDiego.com. I also found UCSD article.

The UC San Diego study was led by: Dr Ajit Varki, and was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and this link is to the abstract of the report:

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/12/25/1417508112.abstract.  The incidence of cancer increases due to the presence of a compound called Neu5Gc (also called "

N-Glycolylneuraminic acid" that is present in red meat.  The research appears to have been performed very carefully with the necessary proper discipline, however after publishing, there still could be peer review findings that could indicate errors in the research tests or reported results.

It seems that this research might be a major breakthrough, and it can help dispel the many dietary myths and recommendations that have built up concerning the eating of red meat.  For example, the concern that has been reported for many years about eating grilled meats as worse than "stewed" meats. It also seems to explain why vegetarians who avoid dairy products can reduce the probability of getting cancer.  Certain dairy products and cheeses  (goat cheeses?) have the Neu5Gc compound.  Fish are OK, except for fish eggs!  Who knew?

The report also says that possibly eating red meat while we are young is OK, but as we get older, the bad effects of eating it has a higher probability of leading to cancer.  I can see how this might make sense from a biological and an anthropological standpoint.

The good news is that now that we are gaining an understanding of the cause, we may be able to develop types of animals who produce little or no Neu5Gc in their bodies, or develop "antidote" foods or food supplements which could neutralize the Neu5Gc compound in the meat, or in our digestive tract.

I think there are other studies that will probably be performed to help us design good diets.   If a person has an ounce or so per week, is that just as bad as eating a couple of pounds per week?  Are those of us who have eaten red meat all of our lives "doomed?"  --or is there "salvation" in becoming a vegetarian now?  Below are some studies that I believe NIH and the livestock industry may want to fund and start working on ASAP:

• What is the dose sensitivity of the body to Neu5GC?  
• How much red meat would cause all cells of our body to contain Neu5Gc? 
• If we stop eating red meat, will the residual Neu5Gc in our body's cells gradually diminish?  How fast does it go away?
• How far down does the amount of Neu5Gc in our body have to go before the cancer risk becomes negligible from this cause, of course
• The testing techniques for measuring the amount of Neu5Gc in foods and in animal cells (human cells) appears to be complex and expensive using chromatograms.  Are there possible techniques that are quicker and easier to perform that provide adequate measurement for clinical use? 
• The research seemed to test only the amount in animal's liver. The research indicated it may be higher in liver, prostate, and several other locations. What is the typical distribution of Neu5Gc in human organs? Is it evenly distributed in all organs? Or does it concentrate in certain ones?
• Can the amount in a person's body be estimated by taking a biopsy, a blood sample, urine sample, or saliva?
• Are there chemicals, drugs, food supplements, cooking methods, or other techniques that reduce the amount of Neu5GC in the food, or that is absorbed into our body?
• Are there chemicals, drugs, food supplements that will help our body eliminate Neu5Gc from our body?
• Are there parts of red meat animals that have more, or less amounts of the Neu5Gc? For example is there more in fat, organ meat, broth?
• Is there some way of reducing the amount of Neu5GC in red meat animals (feed, exercise, breeding, or other types of care?  
• How long after stopping eating of red meat does it take for our body to be free of  Neu5GC?
• If we eat small amounts of red meat or red meat byproducts, (gelatin, broth, flavoring in french fries for example) will we be exposed to Neu5GC?  Will our body then have as much as if we ate a lot of red meat? Or do we have to go completely "vegan" to avoid even accidental ingestion of residual amounts.
• What is the "age curve" vs probability of getting cancer from having Neu5GC in our bodies? The research was done using mice and autopsy at 85 weeks near end of life. If they had eaten red meat while young but none after middle age, would that reduce the probability of cancer a lot? Or only a little bit?

I think it will take many years for more definitive research to be done.  I also suspect that the red meat industry will try dis-information campaigns similar to what the tobacco and anti-global warming group did.  That type of modest campaign will spread doubt about the research, and slow down spending on research about this process,   It will also take a long time to see the effect of this research on the recommendations of nutrionists.  There are some, however,who are already expressing concern about red meat -- but generally they are already vegetarians who are in the "told you so" mode.  See this Dr. Mirkin website as example.

It is also interesting to learn the archeological history of Neu5Gc in humans and other animals.  See this article on phys.org website.  Human ancestors used to make their own Neu5Gc, but between 2 and 3 million years ago, they lost that capability.

STUDY: RED WINE CHEMICAL ACTIVATES RESPONSE | UTSanDiego.com

I've been following the studies on the benefits of  red wine and resveratrol for several years.  There were several well designed studies done that demonstrated that taking resveratrol, a compound found in red wine, blueberries, raspberries and chocolate, mice and rats would have longer lifespans.  Recent research was done by Paul Schimmel and Matthew Sajish at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI).  This article in today's San Diego Union Tribune by Bradley Fikes summarizes the research and explains that we now have a better understanding of the actual mechanism behind how resveratrol works in the body--and the mechanisms of the cell's DNA.

STUDY: RED WINE CHEMICAL ACTIVATES RESPONSE | UTSanDiego.com

From the studies done several years ago with mice, it appeared that if humans wanted to get health benefits from resveratrol, they would need to take huge amounts of the stuff to be comparable to the amounts that were fed to mice.  However, according to these latest studies, apparently only a very small amount of the resveratrol is needed to trigger the good effects of the chemical.

So maybe a glass of red wine with dinner each night is the key to the success of the  "Mediterranean diet." and the answer to the "French Paradox" too!