Effects of dietary haem on epithelial cell turnover in the colon unravelled
by Sandra ten BruggencateResearchers of NIZO food research, TI Food and Nutrition, Netherlands Nutrigenomics Centre, and Wageningen University discovered the mechanism behind unregulated cell growth in the colon after damage caused by dietary haem. The research provides new leads to early biomarkers to help to decrease diet-related colon cancer risk. These new findings were published this week in BMJ Journal Gut online.
Haem, the iron-porphyrin pigment of red meat, increases toxicity of gut contents and thus injures the colon surface (epithelium). A continuous exposure to haem leads to compensatory hyperproliferation in the epithelium and subsequently to epithelial hyperplasia, resulting in an increased risk of colon cancer. “Up to now we were not able to identify the pathways inducing this compensatory hyperproliferation following continuous haem exposure”, Dr Roelof van der Meer, Senior Scientist at TI Food and Nutrition says, “This study enabled us to identify specific molecules that signal from the surface epithelium to the underlying crypts to initiate hyperproliferation upon stress induced by haem.”
Red meat is an important source of haem. Diets high in red meat are associated with the increased risk for colon cancer, a leading cause of cancer deaths in the Western countries. This study shows the effects of haem exposure. If validated in humans, early biomarkers of diet-modulated colon cancer risk may be determined. This can help to develop new dietary strategies to decrease the risk of colon cancer.