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CHARLESTON, S.C., Mar 29, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- High-protein diets that include iron-containing foods, such as the Atkins diet, may produce an increased risk for cancer, U.S. researchers found.
Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, S.C., found people with elevated levels of serum transferrin saturation -- an indicator of iron overload -- and who consume high levels of dietary iron, have an increased risk of cancer and cancer mortality.
People with elevated levels of transferrin saturation who ingest more than 18mg of iron per day have a 2.24 times greater relative risk of cancer than those who have normal transferrin saturation levels and report low dietary iron intake.
Having high transferrin saturation with a normal diet did not carry increased risk -- but approximately 7 percent of the adult U.S. population has transferrin saturation levels greater than 41 percent and are at increased risk.
The findings are published in the Annals of Family Medicine.
Copyright 2005 by United Press International.
