Thursday Nov 13, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- People who use red meat and milk may not want to hear it that eating these foods increases risk of cancer. But a new study has already found a mechanism that explains why human consumption of red meat and milk products increases risk of cancerous tumors.

The study published online this week in advance of print publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) found a molecule produced after consumption of these foods induces inflammation that boosts the cancer risk.

The molecule of concern, according to Ajit Varki, M.D., coauthor of the study, of the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and colleagues, was a non-human cellular molecule called N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc).

Neu5Gc is a type of glycan, a sugary compound, which is not naturally present in human bodies.   But this molecule can be incorporated into human tissues as a result of eating red meat.   When it gets into human tissues, the body develops anti-Neu5Gc antibodies, an immune response that could lead to chronic inflammation and boost cancer growth.

Stay tuned and we will add more later.