Cancer risks associated with barbecuing
By: Dr. Terry Shlimbaum
With summer fast approaching, many people are taking advantage of the weather and doing a variety of outdoor activities from recreational to cooking.
In recent years, questions have arisen about the safety of barbecuing meat and the cancer risks associated with barbecuing.
The first thing people need to understand about barbecuing meat is it does increase the risk of cancer compared to other cooking methods. However, there are ways to reduce the risk and make your summers a little more worry free.
The cancer risk of barbecuing stems from the intense heat used to cook muscle meats such as beef, pork, fish and fowl. This heat causes the creatine and amino acids found in meat to react and form heterocyclic amines.
Several factors that can influence whether or not HCAs will form during the cooking process are:
Type of food:
Cooked muscle meats, such as those mentioned above, have the highest content of HCAs. Other protein-containing foods, including tofu, eggs, milk and organ meats such as liver, have very little HCA content. Vegetables contain no HCAs.
Cooking method:
Barbecuing, frying and broiling food produces more HCAs because of the intense heat used. Cooking food at lower temperatures, as in baking or roasting, reduces the amounts of HCAs likely to form in the food.
Temperature:
Meats that are cooked "well-done" contain a higher level of HCAs. Studies have shown people who ate their meat rare or medium rare were less likely to develop cancer over time.
Pre-cooking some foods:
Studies have found microwaving meat for two minutes before finishing it with another method such as barbecuing can reduce the HCAs by as much as 90 percent.
Diet:
People who consume meat four or more times per week are more likely to develop stomach cancer than those who eat less meat.
Studies have shown high intakes of well-done, fried or barbecued meats increase the risk of developing other cancers, such as colorectal, pancreatic and breast cancer.
Preparation techniques such as marinating meats and wrapping food in foil before barbecuing have been shown to reduce the risk of HCAs in the food.
It also is important to balance your summer dinner plate. Adding grilled vegetables is fine because they contain no HCAs and provide important vitamins, cancer-fighting compounds and fiber.
Don’t load up on meats and have few or no vegetables, fruits and grains to go with it. Animal meats should occupy no more than one-third of the plate, especially when the meat has been grilled.

