Examiner Staff Writer
Researchers including Kathy Helzlsouer, director of the Prevention and Research Center at Mercy Medical Center, say aspirin may reduce the cancer-causing effects of flame-broiled foods in women who eat seared meat often.
In an NIH-funded study of 312 women with breast cancer and 316 cancer-free women, those who ate flame-broiled food more than twice a month were 1.7 times more likely to develop breast cancer than women who never ate them.
Women with genetic traits that help them rapidly metabolize enzymes called N-acetyltransferases ? found in the gut, liver and breast ? faced even higher risk. The digested enzymes activated carcinogens from the meat.
On the other hand, women who used aspirin significantly cut their breast cancer risk ? to equal those who never ate flame-broiled foods, said Johns Hopkins epidemiologist and oncologist Kala Visvanathan, first author of the study.
Further study is needed to better understand the link between aspirin, flame-broiled foods and breast cancer.
To cut carcinogens, experts suggest marinating meat, frequently flipping while cooking or microwaving.
