About the project

• Background

  The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has categorized processed meat as a group 1 carcinogen for CRC; however, the associations are mainly drawn from epidemiological studies in populations that have a Western diet characterized by high intake of energy-dense and processed foods. Furthermore, the cause-and-effect relationships and the key carcinogenic drivers have yet to be documented. In recent years, an increasing number of plant-based meat alternatives that undergo a similar or higher degree of processing than traditional processed meat products have become more common on the market.

  The long-term health effects of these products have yet to be evaluated as these products have only been on the market for a limited time. In its third expert report, the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) states that it seems increasingly unlikely that single factors in our diets themselves may be important for cancer prevention or causation; rather, it may be the overall diet pattern that is important for health. This underlines the importance of unravelling whether protein source, processing procedures or interactions with other dietary risk or protective factors may influence CRC risk.

  
  CRC-3p is based on new knowledge and new research questions that have emerged from previous and ongoing studies of partners in the CRC-3p consortium group, including the “Identification of the healthiest beef meat (Sunnere storfe)” project (2013-2017, NFR 224794), the “Norwegian processed foods in the prevention of colorectal cancer (VegMeatCRC)” project (2018-2021, NFR 280667), and “Effects of lipids’ composition and structure in meat and dairy foods on digestibility and low-grade inflammation in cells, animals and humans (LipidInflammaGenes)” project (2018-2022, NFR 281207). CRC-3p will also benefit from preliminary results gathered in the “Sustainable Norwegian dietary fiber and protein sources for a healthy gut microbiota (GutFeedingNow)” project (2021-2025, NFR 326956).

  

• Objectives

  Primary objective:
  
  To evaluate the associations between human diet (protein source, processing, and dietary patterns) and colorectal cancer (CRC) and increase the mechanistic insight to secure healthy and sustainable protein-rich food for the Norwegian population.
  
  Secondary objectives:

  • Trace the carcinogenic potential of test diets in the the A/J mouse models to determine the significance of protein source, processing, and dietary pattern on CRC, and examine host-diet-microbiota interactions using inflammatory biomarkers, immunological parameters, plasma metabolomics and intestinal tissue proteomics.
  • Verify causal relationships between diet-induced gut dysbiosis and CRC by fecal transplants from mice with diet-induced dysbiosis to A/J mice.
  • Apply data from established Norwegian prospective epidemiological studies and collect new data from a CRC screening study to determine CRC risk of intake of processed proteins (meat and plant-based), in a healthy or unhealthy diet.

• Participants

  External participants

  • Marianne Sødring, Animalia AS
  • Torunn Håseth, Animalia AS
  • Ole Alvseike, Animalia AS
  • Frøydis Bjerke, Animalia AS
  • Karianne Henriksen, Animalia AS
  • Per Berg, Nortura AS
  • Guro Waage, Nortura AS
  • Karine Kaiander, Grilstad AS
  • Ida Mathisen, Kjøtt- og fjørfebransjens Landsforbund
  • Christiane Hoffmann, Kjøtt- og fjørfebransjens Landsforbund
  • Ida Rud, Nofima
  • Anette Hjartåker, Universitetet i Oslo
  • Lada Ivanova, Veterinærinstituttet
  • Christiane Fæste, Veterinærinstituttet

Dissemination and results