Masonic Scholar and medicinal chemistry faculty member Robert Turesky, Ph.D., is working to measure a cooked meat carcinogen called PhIP and has developed ways to quantify it in hair and urine.
Turesky’s work comes in light of a recent World Health Organization study that he and 22 other scientists led on the link between cancer and the overconsumption of red or processed meats.
After evaluating 800 studies on meat and cancer, he and his peers found that processed meats could contribute to colorectal cancer because of their nitrates, while red meats pose a risk when they’re grilled, pan-fried, or cooked at higher temperatures.
“If there’s a take-home message, it’s not to stop eating meat products, but to diversify your diet."