Dietary sources of iron and vitamin B12: is this the missing link in colorectal carcinogenesis?

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is distinctive for its strikingly high correlation with the diet. Heme-iron from red and processed meat was found to strongly increase the risk of CRC, yet only 20% of the total dietary iron is heme-iron. However, the results are still inconclusive in terms of the total dietary iron and CRC risk. On the other hand, vitamin B12 has been proposed as cytoprotector, and iron and vitamin B12 share their dietary sources. Meat and animal-derived products are the only foods that naturally provide vitamin B12.
Source: Medical Hypotheses - Category: Biomedical Science Authors: Source Type: research