Eating processed meat when you have genetic variation increases the risk of colorectal cancer. A third of people are affected, according to an American study.
Several studies have shown in the past that certain types of food can increase the risk of colorectal cancer. Processed meat, that is to say meats that are processed, smoked or salted or in which preservatives have been added, consumed in too large a quantity increase the risks. Researchers often recommend consuming fruits, vegetables, and fiber to reduce the risks. For the first time, a study American published in the journal PLOS Genetics establishes a link between colorectal cancer, the mode of feeding and a genetic mutation that increase the risk of cancer.
A frequent genetic mutation
Dr. Jane Figueiredo of the University of Southern California and her teams conducted the first large-scale genomic study and examined 2,700,000 genes to identify this mutation. They analyzed 10 different studies with 9,287 patients, victims of colorectal cancer and 9,117 simply screened for this cancer. They divided the participants into four groups based on their meat consumption. Members with the highest meat consumption (up to five servings of meat per day) and carrying a genetic variation called “rs4143094” have a 39% increased risk of developing colorectal cancer.
The discovery of this interaction between the consumption of processed meat and “rs4143094” is extremely important. Indeed, this variant is linked to the GATA3 gene that researchers have associated with several forms of cancer. And this genetic mutation is present in about a third of people.
The link between diet and the immune system
Dr Figueiredo welcomes this discovery, which she considers a major step forward in understanding the correlation between genetic variations, diet and colorectal cancer. “Diet is a risk factor for colorectal cancer. Our study is the first to understand how certain people have a higher or lower risk depending on their genomic profile, ”says the doctor.
This discovery could in the future make it possible to “draw up the genetic profile of individuals to identify those who are at risk”. But “we must first find other interactions of the same kind, understand the mechanisms involved” she admits. Doctor Li Hsu, statistician of the study goes further: “The possibility that genetic variations can modify the risk of diseases in an individual according to his diet has not been sufficiently studied but it represents a new point of view. view on the development of diseases ”.
Doctor Jade Figuereido nevertheless advances a hypothesis: “We know that food has an effect on the intestinal flora, which itself can influence the immune system. It is perhaps one of the mechanisms involved in individuals at risk. , especially since the gene we have discovered is involved in the immune system! “said Dr Figuereido, interviewed by the MDFM internet radio station.
The hope of Doctor Figueiredo is to one day be able to “issue recommendations adapted” to the genetic profile of patients. Targeted treatments in people at risk could then significantly reduce the threat of colorectal cancer.
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