Expert Warns on Process of Cooking Red Meat

Ayodeji Ake 

Researchers have revealed that the process of cooking red meat has been linked to prostate cancer, among other risk factors.

Speaking at the Science of Advanced Prostate Cancer in Africa (SoAPCA) Conference 2025, themed ‘Addressing Advanced Prostate Cancer in Africa Through Inclusive Clinical Trials’,  held in Lagos State recently, Nigerian-Florida-based Professor of Oncology,  Folakemi Odedina, noted that cooking red meat over an open fire releases some toxins that could be responsible for prostate cancer.

“For example, one of the things we are looking into is the role of red meat in prostate cancer. It’s not necessarily the red meat, but the way we cook it.  Cooking red meat with high fire releases some chemicals that have been linked to prostate cancer. Not only in Nigeria, but also in the way we generally cook food. We have a collaborator at the University whose study has established that the process and ways red meats are cooked have been linked to prostate cancer. We should relax the way we cook our meat a little bit,” she said.
 
Also speaking on the theme of the event, she said it was important to bring together experts, advocates, and survivors to focus on trials and research to reduce the burden of prostate cancer.

“The conference is focused on advanced prostate cancer because the prostate cancer cases we have seen in Nigeria and Africa are at the late and advanced stage. It’s unfortunate because they are not detected early and are very deadly. For the theme of the conference, we decided to focus on clinical trials, and participating in research is very critical. Through clinical trials, we can look at developing drugs and interventions that are personalized to us as Africans. The blacks.

“Through this conference, we have training for prostate cancer survivors, advocates, policy makers, and investigators, because we realized it’s very important that we bring everybody together to make a difference and fight this deadly disease in our community.

“In the last 20 years, we have done a lot of studies to understand the differences. One of the things we found is that the genetic makeup of people in Africa is different from that of people in the United States, for example, or other races. Our lifestyle is different from what we eat, the environment, pollution, and what we are exposed to,” Odedina said. 

The President of the Nigeria Cancer Society, Prof. Abidemi Omonisi, also emphasised the need for regular checkups for early detection of prostate cancer. 

“What we are seeing in not just Nigeria but in Africa is the transition from communicable diseases to non-communicable diseases. We have that epidemic transition. For about 30 years, we have realized that prostate cancer is the most common cancer in males. Several factors have been associated, which include: genetic, diet, etc. The major issue now is advanced prostate cancer, not only in rural areas but also among the elites. Sometimes, prostate cancer does not give early symptoms.

“One of the key reasons for this conference is to explore the modern modality of treatment.  The message is that our men should not be afraid to present themselves. When they discover back pain, weight loss, and other abnormal symptoms, they should quickly submit themselves for treatment.  Beyond that, regular checkups will help prevent the advanced presentation of those diseases,” he said.