Why You’ll Want To Turn The Heat Down

By Author: Dr. Victor Marchione
Total Articles: 90
Comment this article

When the weather warms up, many of us revel in the chance to throw some meat on the grill. Burgers, steaks, ribs and chicken are easy to cook — and tasty, too — when they’re grilled.

In particular, many people enjoy the taste of charbroiled meat. However, a new study suggests that you should be careful how well-done you cook meat.

Meat that is burned or charred can be hazardous to your health.
According to the study, those who regularly eat burned or charred red meat have as much as a 60% higher risk of pancreatic cancer.

Red meat has been linked to cancer before, of course, but eaten in moderation, it can also provide a good source of vitamins and minerals, as well as protein.

It’s only when meat is well-done on the grill that a significant (and clearly threatening) health risk occurs. When you eat meat that has been burned or charred, you are also directly ingesting cancer-causing carcinogens.
A research team based at the University of Minnesota looked a 62,000 healthy people and documented what they ate for a nine-year period.

Over the course of this lengthy study, ...
... 208 participants were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. When divided into five groups based on how much charred meat (such as hamburgers) they ate, the research team discovered something quite alarming.

Participants in the study who were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer were far more likely to be in the top two groups for charred-meat consumption.

How much more likely? “We found that those who preferred very well-done steak were almost 60 percent more likely to get pancreatic cancer as those who ate steak less well-done or did not eat steak,” said lead researcher Kristin Anderson.

The research team also discovered that those with the highest intake of very well-done meat had a 70% higher risk for pancreatic cancer over those with the lowest consumption.1

Not that you have to avoid grilling altogether.
Rather, the findings in this study suggest that you might want to consider turning down the heat when grilling and frying to avoid excess burning or charring of the meat. Exercising a little caution and patience to cook meat slowly is a sensible way for you to lower your risk for getting pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is a particularly worrisome form of cancer.

There aren’t a lot of treatments out there that can stave off the disease, and unfortunately, this type of cancer progresses quickly and is often fatal.

You’ll want to do your best to avoid charred meat, which contains several known cancer-causing chemicals, including something called “heterocyclic amines.”

sign up for the Doctors Health Press e-Bulletin. Visit: 100% Free Sign Up Online Now For NEWSLETTER