Charred Meats Elevate Cancer Risk

Meat that has been cooked at high temperatures is one of the most common sources of dietary carcinogens. When cooked to a well done state, meats contain dangerous compounds, including heterocyclic amities. These compounds are known to cause DNA mutations and cancer in animals. Scientists have recently confirmed that eating well-done meat poses health risks to humans as well. For example, epidemiological studies have linked the consumption of well done, especially charcoal grilled, meat with cancers of the colon, breast, and stomach in adults. In men, greater consumption of very well done meat has been linked with an increased risk of prostate cancer. The intake of total, red, or white meat did not increase prostate cancer risk, which led scientists to conclude that it is the high-temperature cooking and not the meat itself that enhances the risk of prostate cancer.

The excessive heat causes heterocyclic amines. These are not carcinogenic in themselves but they are transformed in the body into chemically reactive compounds that can interact with DNA to trigger the initiation of cancer. Scientists believe it may be possible to reduce the risks of these potential carcinogens by using nutritional and dietary strategies. Supplements like Saw Palmetto are particularly effective.

Protective compounds derived from vegetables, particularly cruciferous vegetables, may help to lessen the dangers of potent meat-derived carcinogens by preventing their activation or by increasing their detoxification. Scientists have noted that cruciferous vegetables help protect against DNA damage and pre-cancerous changes that can be induced by heterocyclic amines. This means the regular intake of cruciferous vegetable compounds may help protect against one of the most prevalent sources of dietary carcinogens.