Are you preparing a barbecue this summer? Tips to reduce cancer risk from grilling – National
As barbecue season kicks off, experts are advising Canadians to take precautions when grilling red meats and hot dogs. While those charred traces add flavour, they also carry potential health risks.
Fortunately, you can enjoy your favorite grilled foods while minimizing the danger.
Cooking meat at high temperatures can create potentially dangerous chemicals. These include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs). Although no direct link to human cancer has been established, laboratory experiments show that these compounds can alter DNA in ways that increase the risk of cancer, according to the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NIH). .
“There are two things to consider when it comes to barbecuing. The first is that red and processed meats, like beef, hot dogs or sausages, are types of processed red meats that could increase your risk of colorectal cancer, no matter how you cook them,” warned Elizabeth Holmes, director of health policy at the Canadian Cancer Society.
“Research shows that cooking these meats, poultry and fish at high temperatures, including barbecuing, can increase the risk of cancer. It is important to note that these carcinogens are formed when meat is cooked at this high temperature.”
There are, however, some grilling habits that can reduce your risk of exposure to cancer-causing chemicals, including marinating, choosing leaner cuts of meat, and grilling over low heat.
The key, Holmes warns, is to avoid charring the meat. The smoke and resulting charred pieces contain carcinogens that can increase the risk of cancer.
HCAs are formed when amino acids, sugars and creatine or creatinine (substances found in muscles) react at high temperatures, the NIH said on its website.
PAHs occur when meat fat and juices are grilled directly onto a heated surface or when an open fire drips onto the surface or fire, causing flames and smoke. Smoke contains PAHs which then stick to the surface of the meat. PAHs can also be formed during other food preparation processes, such as smoking meat.
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The formation of HCAs and PAHs varies depending on the type of meat, cooking method, and level of “doneness” (rare, medium, or well done), reports the NIH. Regardless of meat, high-temperature cooking methods like grilling or pan-frying (above 350°F) and longer cooking times generally lead to higher levels of these compounds.
For example, the NIH has stated that well-grilled or barbecued chicken and steak are high in HCAs. Additionally, cooking methods that expose meat to smoke, such as grilling over an open flame, contribute to the formation of PAHs.
How much grilled meat is a safe amount?
The American Institute of Cancer Research (AICR) has stated that there is insufficient evidence showing that grilled meat specifically increases the risk of cancer.
“But we know that cooking meat at high temperatures – such as grilling – creates carcinogens… These carcinogens can cause changes to DNA that can lead to cancer,” the AICR said on its website.
The Canadian Cancer Society recommends limiting red meat consumption to three servings per week. One serving is 85 grams when cooked, less than a deck of cards.
The organization goes further and recommends avoiding processed meats altogether (or limiting them as much as possible). This includes ham, bacon, salami, and hot dogs. Processed meats are any meat preserved by smoking, curing, salting, or adding preservatives. These preservation methods can lead to the formation of carcinogens.
But you don’t have to put that grill away just yet.
Keith Warriner, a food safety professor at the University of Guelph, said unless you eat barbecue every day, you shouldn’t be overly concerned.
“There is a link between these carcinogenic substances present in meat and barbecues. In reality, we don’t do it every day of the year. In many cases we only do one or two weeks. So we should not be overly concerned,” he said.
The best way to protect against carcinogenic compounds when grilling meat is to marinate it, Warriner said.
He recommends using a beer marinade, if possible, because it has been proven to contain antioxidants that help prevent the formation of harmful compounds, like HCAs and PAHs.
For example, a 2022 study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that marinating with beer can significantly reduce the PAH content of grilled meat. The study found that dark beer had the most significant effect.
“It’s about marinating with antioxidant-rich products,” Warriner said. “What happens is you coat the meat and those hydrocarbons come in, it kind of neutralizes them.”
Adding honey, vinegar, oils, lemon juice and herbs to your meat about 30 minutes before grilling has also been shown to help reduce the formation of carcinogenic compounds.
To further reduce your exposure to HCAs and PAHs, consider partially precooking your meat in the oven or microwave. The AICR said this shortens the cooking time at high temperatures on the grill, minimizing the formation of these harmful chemicals.
Cutting fat from your meat can also reduce flare-ups and charring, the AICR said.
“Choose leaner cuts of meat for barbecue cooking, and you can cook them slowly…not directly over high heat,” Holmes suggested, adding that instead of grilling meat, you can try vegetables .
“So think of all the vegetables and fruits you can put on the barbecue while still enjoying the pleasure of cooking and being outdoors.”
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