Summer is our national grilling season, and some of us like our burgers, hot dogs, and vegetables charred. But that flavor profile includes the risk of carcinogens.
What’s a grillmaster to do? We asked a Columbia cancer researcher how to avoid creating potentially cancer-promoting agents. Here’s what she said:
Does grilling cause cancer?
There is no straight line between eating food cooked on a grill and getting cancer, but cooking over an open flame can lead to development of carcinogens in meat.
If you are at higher risk for getting cancer, your risk may increase from these sorts of exposures, says cancer epidemiologist Mary Beth Terry, PhD, professor of epidemiology at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and associate director for community cancer prevention at Columbia's Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Grilling can create cancer-causing chemicals
When cooking over high heat, especially an open flame, you are exposed to two main carcinogens: heterocyclic aromatic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Studies show HCAs and PAHs cause changes in DNA that may increase the risk of cancer.
- HCAs develop in meat when amino acids and creatine (muscle proteins) react to high heat. Time is your enemy: The amount of HCAs increases the longer meat is exposed to the heat.
- PAHs are chemicals produced as fat burns in the flame and can attach to meat cooking over an open fire. When grilling, you’re also exposed to PAHs in smoke. (Cigarette smoke and air pollution also contain PAHs, which partly explains why smoking and air pollution are linked to different cancers).
The good news about grilling: Vegetables do not have muscle proteins, but excessive charring can create benzopyrene and other carcinogens.
Carcinogens and moderation
“At any stage of your life you can reduce your risk of future cancer,” says Terry. Carcinogens can change your DNA, but your DNA has repair mechanisms working all the time. The fewer repairs these mechanisms have to make, the less chance you’ll get cancer.
“It's easier for your body to repair damage if your intake and exposure is slower,” says Terry. “So don’t have four alcoholic drinks or four charred burgers at once.”
How to reduce risk of cancer when grilling
- Shorten grill time.
- Reduce the time that meat is exposed to extreme heat and flames by marinating and/or partially cooking with another heat source (oven, microwave, pan) before grilling.
- Smaller cuts of food also spend less time on the grill.
- Shorten flame exposure time.
- Flip food frequently and cook on the most indirect heat (yes, this means gas grills may be safer).
- Eat more vegetables.
- See “no muscle proteins” above.
- Don’t binge eat BBQ.
- If you have too much of something in a short time, it's not easy for your body to metabolize. Limit how much and how often you eat grilled and smoked meat.
Risk of cancer varies per person. Bottom line when it comes to grilling, says Terry: Don’t grill every meal. And when you do cook on the grill, eat less charred food and meat. You reduce risk by not doing something all the time.
Mary Beth Terry, PhD, is professor of epidemiology in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, and co-leader of Cancer Population Sciences and associate director for community cancer prevention at theHerbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, the home for cancer research and patient care at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
FAQs
Grilling can create cancer-causing chemicals
Is it safe to eat grilled food every day? ›
Eating charred grilled meats too often could increase the risk for certain types of cancer. Here's the beef on grill safety and tips on how to grill the right way, so you can enjoy cookouts without having to worry.
Can too many smoked or grilled meats promote cancer growth? ›
“Also, if meat is smoked, and the fatty juices drip and the smoke encases the meat, that will form carcinogens.” The two types of carcinogens are heterocyclic amines – related to pan-searing – and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which come from smoke. Grilling or barbequing will create both these carcinogens.
What is the healthiest way to grill? ›
Trim fat and moderate grill temperature.
Avoid grilling meats over open flames and/or at high temperatures. This produces chemicals on the meat that when consumed can lead to high blood pressure. Avoid eating grilled meats that are overdone or burnt.
Is cooking on a propane grill healthy? ›
Propane grills also heat up quicker and maintain a steady temperature much more easily than alternatives. Experts have found that grilling with propane is notably healthier than using charcoal.
Is it OK to eat grilled chicken everyday? ›
Chicken is a healthy food (as long as it's poached, baked or grilled), but that doesn't mean you should eat it every single day. As both dietitians have explained, eating a wide variety of foods is the best way to give your body the nutrients it needs.
What is the healthiest way to cook meat? ›
Carolyn Berry, registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator in Vancouver, says to choose cooking techniques that don't add extra fat and calories. Grilling, roasting, baking, broiling, steaming, press cooking and slow cooking are some of the healthiest ways to cook meat.
Why do smokers have higher rates of cancer? ›
These chemicals damage our DNA, including parts of our DNA that protect us against cancer. Chemicals in cigarette smoke also make it harder for our cells to repair DNA damage. This means DNA damage can build up. It's the build-up of DNA damage in the same cell over time that leads to cancer.
Does eating less meat lower cancer risk? ›
While no diet choice will guarantee that you won't develop cancer, cutting meat can help you lower your cancer risk. The American Institute for Cancer Research promotes a plant-based diet.
What is the least toxic way to grill? ›
Gas or electric grills may pose a lower risk of introducing carcinogens in foods than charcoal grills. Charcoal itself is not a carcinogen, but cooking with charcoal has been linked to two types of cancer risks. First, charcoal grills tend to cook at very high temperatures.
Charring causes the formation of HAAs, which has been linked to cancer in animal studies. Further, cooking meats over open flames where fat can drip and produce smoke — think grilling — can lead to the formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs have also been linked to cancer formation.
What is the best alternative to grilling? ›
Cast iron skillets, griddle pans and grill pans with ridges all help to replicate grilled textures and flavors. No matter which pan you use, be sure to preheat it before adding your food to get a spectacular sear on your meats and veggies.
Is it okay to eat grilled food every day? ›
Risk of cancer varies per person. Bottom line when it comes to grilling, says Terry: Don't grill every meal. And when you do cook on the grill, eat less charred food and meat. You reduce risk by not doing something all the time.
Is it healthier to grill with gas or charcoal? ›
When it comes to your health and the planet's health, however, propane is the clear winner. It all boils down to carcinogens that end up in your food and the fact that charcoal tends to be dirtier, and that propane's carbon footprint is much smaller carbon.
Is grilled food inflammatory? ›
When you want to reduce inflammation, baking, steaming or fast stir-frying are preferable to deep frying or grilling. Cooking meat, especially red meat, on the grill creates compounds associated with cancer.
Is it safe to eat food with black soot from grill? ›
It's thought that the levels of carcinogens in one portion of burned food, even if you've done a real number on it, is far too low to present a serious risk. So when it comes to sooty food, it's most likely safe from a health perspective. The question is whether you want to experience the texture of the soot.
Is grilled food better for you than fried food? ›
Health Benefits of Grilling
It results in healthier meals and makes it easier to manage a low fat diet. Grilled foods also have lower calorie content than fried foods. This helps in weight management and keeping fit. Reduced fat intake helps to lower bad cholesterol levels in the blood.
