Donald 🐝 Grandy PN

6 years ago · 1 min. reading time · ~100 ·

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Grilling Meat and Cancer - Are You Worried? - By John Berardi, Ph.D.

Ever heard that grilled meat is harmful to your health?

Carcinogens. Cancer. Scary stuff !!

DOES GRILLING
CAUSE CANCER?

HOW TO GRILL WITHOUT THE SCARY SIDE EFFECTS

IS GRILLING HAZARDOUS
TO YOUR HEALTH?

The headlines say grilling
causes cancer. Are they nght?
Well, grilling does produce a
couple of chemicals that may
increase the risk of cancer.

HETEROCYCLIC AMINES

Heterocyclic amines (HCAs) form when meat is overcooked or charbroiled
HCAs can damage and change DNA.

FOUR FACTORS
INFLUENCE
HCA FORMATION:

. Type of food
How t's cooked
. Temperature
How long it's cooked

Temperature is the most important
of these four. While HCAs begin to
form at 212°F (100°C), the truly
nasty types start to be made in large
quantities at about 572°F (300°C)

POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) form when meat is charred or blackened,
or when fat from the meat drips onto the hot surface of the grill

PAH CREATION IS
INFLUENCED BY:

1. Temperature of cooking
2. How long food is cooked

3. Type of fuel used in heating
4. Distance from heat source
5. Fat content of the food

The hotter and longer a meat is cooked, the more HCAs and PAHs.

YOU CAN STILL GRILL!

There are some great ways that can allow you to grill delicious food -
without the health risks

CHOOSE MEAT
WISELY

Highly-processed meats
have a much stronger
link to cancer than
minmally-processed meats.

Use whole, If you like burgers, try
minimally processed making your own with If you like sausages,
cuts of meat such ground beef, lamb, look for fresh,
as steaks, chicken pork, bison, chicken traditionally made
thighs, ribs, fresh or turkey versions.
fish and seafood.

When you can, choose relatively leaner cuts, as fattier cuts
drip more lipids into the grill, causing greater PAH formation.

USE HERBS AND SPICES

MINT FAMILY HERBS

decrease HCA formation

ONION POWDER

can reduce one of the major types
of HCAs (PhiP) by up to 94%.

TURMERIC
can decrease HCA
formation by up to 40%

FRESH GARLIC
can decrease HCA
formation by up to 70%

ROSEMARY

can lower HCA formation by
up to 90% in some cases.

MARINATE | : ACID-BASED MARINADES

can dramatically reduce HCA formation.
YOUR MEAT
Marinades can lower BEER MARINADES

HCA levels by as marinating in dark beer can decrease
much as 99%. PAH levels by 53%, whereas a light
Pilsner marinade can only reduce
PAH by 13%.

On the other hand, a sweet BBQ sauce can ncrease
HCA formation 1.9 - 2.9 times. But if you are going
to use BBQ sauce, put it on at the end of cooking.
That way it's less likely to burn and char

INCLUDE LOTS OF THESE
FRUITS & VEGGIES

Foods that inhibit the mutagenic
activity of HCAs include:

red grapes blueberries spinach
Kiwi apples parsley

watermelon dried plums cherries

STRATEGIZE
WHILE COOKING

Cut your meat into
smaller pieces.

Cover the grill with foil
to reduce drips and
flare ups

Cook meat on medium
to medium-high heat

Flip meat frequently 4 To

DON’T OVERCOOK

Go with medium-high temperatures,
about 375450°F.

- WELL-DONE

MEDIUM-RARE

HCAs and PAHs depend Blackened and charred meat have
on temperature plus time. the highest levels of HCAs and PAHs.
Welldone meat contains 3.5 times So cut blackened bits off when
as many HCAs as medium-are meat. they happen.

For the full article explaining this nfographic
[NP RR BR TI ree

Everyone is worried about grilling meat and cancer…but should they be? Don’t put away your grill just yet. There are steps you can take to minimize your risk and still enjoy the thrill of the grill.

Here's what you need to know.

Grilling meat does produce a couple of chemicals that may increase risk of cancer. Scary sounding?

Heterocyclic amines (HCAs) form when meat is overcooked or charbroiled: Creatine, amino acids, and sugars in meat react together with heat.

(Interestingly, this is the same process as the Maillard reaction — the chemical reaction that browns meat and makes it so tasty.)

HCAs can damage and change DNA. Thus, the Department of Health and Human Services places HCAs in the “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” category. Not good.

Animal research consistently shows that HCAs contribute to cancer development — at least in very large doses. (That “very large dose” part is important.) Likewise, human research shows that eating a lot of HCAs is associated with a higher risk of cancer.

More than 17 different HCAs have been identified as potentially risky for humans.

Four factors influence HCA formation:

Type of food
How it’s cooked
Temperature
How long it’s cooked

Temperature is the most important of these four.

Follow these surprising tips to enjoy your backyard barbecue while reducing the health risks.

(Hint: drinking a beer with your burger can help.)

Take Care Of Your Health Or Your Illness Will

Donald Grandy

Precision Nutrition Certification - Pn1

Sport and Exercise Coach

dongrandy@gmail.com

Comments

Wayne Yoshida

6 years ago#1

Thanks Donald \ud83d\udc1d Grandy PN - Good to know I can continue grilling, smoking and roasting. Another great reason to avoid ruining meat by cooking to well done!