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Abuse of meat is fraught with bowel cancer
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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High iron concentrations in the body increase the risk of developing bowel cancer. And one of the main sources of iron is red meat. As it turns out, iron negatively affects the work of a gene that usually protects against cancer.
Studies on mice showed that the likelihood of developing cancer was strongly dependent on iron levels and the functioning of the APC gene. When this gene was malfunctioning, mice with high iron intake were 2-3 times more likely to end up with the disease. But if mice consumed little iron, even with a defective gene, they did not develop cancer.
As Professor Owen Sansum points out, a faulty APC gene is responsible for 8 out of 10 cancer cases. Meat contains a compound called heme (which gives meat its red colour). It damages the lining of the intestine. And when meat is fried, it releases carcinogenic compounds.
Over time, the likelihood increases that cells in the gut will produce the faulty gene and respond to iron in the diet. If the gene doesn't work, iron accumulates in the lining. This process triggers the wnt signaling pathway, causing cells to divide uncontrollably.
Iron also promotes the growth of cells with defective APC. It was shown that mice without the problematic gene or with a normally functioning gene did not suffer from cancer, despite high iron content in the diet. In these animals, the wnt signaling pathway was inactive.
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