A favorite way of cooking meat in the summer might be bad for you - here's how to do it right
The weather is getting warmer, and the smell of people grilling is starting to fill the evening air.
And while that cooking method does produce a delicious, smoky flavor for the meat, it's also potentially increasing your risk of certain kinds of cancer.
In April 2016 , the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) and the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) looked at factors that have a relationship to stomach cancer.
In that report, they found in particular that three factors were linked with a higher-than-average risk of developing stomach cancer: a high body fat percentage, a high alcohol intake, and a high intake of processed meats.
That means that while the average risk for stomach cancer for most people remains fairly low, it may be somewhat higher in people who can check off all of these factors.
And while the evidence is still limited, some research suggests that grilled or barbecued meats may be especially unhealthy. One reason?
Cooking meat at high temperatures, which is what you do when you grill something, can lead to the formation of substances called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute, these substances may be carcinogenic; several studies have documented this link.
"Smoking or charring meat also contributes to the formation of PAHs," AICR's head of nutrition Alice Bender said in a 2016 release.
That's not to say though that you have to ditch grilling entirely, just that there are some steps you can take to avoid having your meat on high temperatures for such a long time.
Instead, the AICR suggests:
- Marinading your meat, which has been linked to less HCA formation during the cooking process.
- Pre-cooking in the oven or stovetop first before exposing it to flames of the grill.
- Going lean to avoid charring and flare-ups that occur as the fire burns up fat.
- Mixing in veggies with smaller cuts of meat for a shorter cooking time.
- Sticking to grilling fruits and vegetables (those don't produce HCAs).
- US buys 81 Soviet-era combat aircraft from Russia's ally costing on average less than $20,000 each, report says
- 2 states where home prices are falling because there are too many houses and not enough buyers
- A couple accidentally shipped their cat in an Amazon return package. It arrived safely 6 days later, hundreds of miles away.
- India Inc marks slowest quarterly revenue growth in January-March 2024: Crisil
- Nothing Phone (2a) India-exclusive Blue Edition launched starting at ₹19,999
- SC refuses to plea seeking postponement of CA exams scheduled in May
- 10 exciting weekend getaways from Delhi within 300 km in 2024
- Foreign tourist arrivals in India will cross pre-pandemic level in 2024