What can a man’s hair follicles reveal about their risk of developing an aggressive form of prostate cancer? Researchers at the Masonic Cancer Center (MCC), a Consortium Member Center, say plenty. According to a recent study, led by MCC Researcher Robert Turesky, PhD, men who eat well-done or grilled meat are exposed to higher levels of the chemical PhIP, a known carcinogen. Interestingly, PhIP levels in humans can easily be measured through hair samples. Research participants were recruited at the Minnesota State Fair’s Driven to Discover Research Facility, with hair samples collected from African American and European American men. The study sought to determine if PhIP levels in the two groups varied, as Black men are twice as likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer and die from the disease compared with White men. But according to the results about 20% of the men in both groups sampled had high PhIP levels in their hair. The research did, however, begin to illuminate the relationship between dietary choices and prostate cancer risk, and showed that testing hair can measure exposure to PhlP.