"We found that men who ate more than 1.5 servings of pan-fried red meat per week increased their risk of advanced prostate cancer by 30 percent," said research team leader Mariana Stern at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California.

"In addition, men who ate more than 2.5 servings of red meat cooked at high temperatures (per week) were 40 percent more likely to have advanced prostate cancer," added Stern, the journal Carcinogenesis reports.

The research is based on an analysis of data from nearly 2,000 men who took part in the California Collaborative Prostate Cancer Study, according to a Keck School statement.

Previous studies have stressed a link between diets high in red meat and risk of prostate cancer, but evidence is limited.

Attention to cooking methods of red meats, however, shows the risk of prostate cancer may be a result of potent chemical carcinogens formed when meats are cooked at high temperatures.

Information regarding cooking practices (pan-frying, oven-broiling and grilling) was obtained using colour photographs that displayed the level of doneness.

More than 1,000 of the men included in the study were diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer.