| Grilled chicken from seven national | | | | bind to DNA, leading to HCA-induced DNA |
| restaurant chains contains a dangerous | | | | adducts. |
| carcinogen called PhIP, prompting the | | | | |
| Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine | | | | PhIP and other HCAs are more toxic than |
| (PCRM) to file a lawsuit against the | | | | commonly known carcinogens such as |
| restaurants, the PCRM announced September 28. | | | | benzo-(a)-pyrene. Studies have already found |
| | | | that among others, intake of PhIP and other |
| The lawsuit was filed under California's | | | | HCAs may increase risk of colon, breast and |
| Proposition 65 in The Superior Court of the | | | | prostate cancer in humans, three most common |
| State of California for the County of Los | | | | cancers in the United States which are |
| Angeles to compel McDonald's, Burger King, | | | | commonly associated with meat consumption. |
| Chick-fil-A, Chili's, Applebee's, Outback | | | | |
| Steakhouse, and TGI Friday's to warn | | | | To reduce HCAs in cooked meat, meat should be |
| unsuspecting consumers of the carcinogen. | | | | prepared under 392 F or 200 C. Direct heat |
| PhIP was found in every sample of grilled | | | | should not be used to cook meat. Consumers |
| chicken from these restraurants. | | | | may also use some spices to inhibit the |
| | | | formation of toxic forms of PhIP in the body. |
| "Grilled chicken can cause cancer, and | | | | Garlic is one of known spices that counteract |
| consumers deserve to know that this | | | | the cancer-causing effect of PhIP. |
| supposedly healthy product is actually just | | | | |
| as bad for them as high-fat fried chicken," | | | | In a study presented at the annual meeting of |
| says PCRM president Neal Barnard, M.D. "Even | | | | American Association of Cancer Research held |
| a grilled chicken salad increases the risk of | | | | on Oct 31, 2005, Ronald D. Thomas, Ph.D. at |
| breast cancer, prostate cancer, and other | | | | Florida A&M University in Tallahassee and |
| forms of this lethal disease." | | | | colleagues reported that garlic compound |
| | | | diallyl sulfide (DAS) antagonizes |
| 2-amino-1methyk-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridi | | | | PhIP-induced alterations in the expression of |
| e (PhIP), along with three other heterocyclic | | | | phase I and phase II metabolizing enzymes in |
| amines (HCAs), known as | | | | human breast epithelial cells. |
| 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f] quinoline | | | | |
| (IQ), 2-amino-3,4-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f] | | | | "We treated human breast epithelial cells |
| quinoline (MeIQ), and | | | | with equal amounts of PhIP and DAS |
| 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f] | | | | separately, and the two together, for periods |
| quinoxaline (MeIQx) are listed by the | | | | ranging from three to 24 hours," said Thomas. |
| National Toxicology Program in the Report on | | | | "PhIP induced expression of the |
| Carcinogen as reasonably anticipated to be a | | | | cancer-causing enzyme at every stage, up to |
| human carcinogen. | | | | 40-fold, while DAS completely inhibited the |
| | | | PhIP enzyme from becoming carcinogenic." |
| Heterocyclic amines (HCAs) including PhIP are | | | | |
| formed by condensation of creatinine and | | | | Another way consumers may try to prevent |
| amino acids in animal muscle during the | | | | PhIP-induced cancers is to avoid consumption |
| cooking of meat. A high level of the | | | | of meat. Dr. T. Colin Campbell, a retired |
| cancer-causing agents can be formed in a | | | | nutrition professor from Cornell University |
| cooking process at high temperature for a | | | | said in his book "China Study" that |
| long time. | | | | consumption of animal protein is linked with |
| | | | elevated activities of enzymes that convert |
| HCAs are readily absorbed and distributed in | | | | many non-toxic chemicals such as aflatoxin |
| the body. They are metabolized by both phase | | | | into cancer-causing agents. Dr. Campbell and |
| I and phase II enzymes and become toxic | | | | others have found meat consumption is linked |
| forms, arylnitrenium ions, which ultimately | | | | with increased risk of many cancers. |