The effect of dairy and red meat on metabolism and colon health / Damien Paul Belobrajdic.

Abstract

This thesis describes a series of experiments aimed at investigating the effect on metabolism and colon health of dairy products and red meat. Four main experimental directions were followed: To assess the effect of fat type and heme on risk markers of colon cancer; to investigate whether heme iron is an initiator of colon cancer, and the effect of dietary protein type and density on colon cancer risk and also their effect on metabolism. This research suggests that heme iron in a high red meat diet is not likely to be a contributing factor in increasing colon cancer risk. It was also found that whey protein may protect against colon cancer and may be an effective dietary factor to assist reducing the risk of NIDDM, insulin resistance or obesity. In addition, whey protein may also improve disease management for individuals who have either one or more of the conditions.