Updated

Updated · health.yahoo.com · Jul 10

Yale Oncologist Discusses Colon Cancer Risk From Cooked Meats as Summer Grilling Season Starts

Updated

Updated · health.yahoo.com · Jul 10

Yale Oncologist Discusses Colon Cancer Risk From Cooked Meats as Summer Grilling Season Starts

Q: What marinade ingredients can neutralize cancer-causing chemicals from grilling, beyond just trimming the char?

Marinades built around acidic ingredients and antioxidant-rich seasonings can help reduce the cancer-causing chemicals that form during grilling. Experts point to vinegar, lemon or other citrus juice, and even wine or yogurt as useful bases, because they can lower surface pH and help slow the high-heat reactions that produce heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Adding herbs and spices with strong antioxidant activity appears especially helpful. Rosemary is one of the most commonly cited, along with garlic, ginger, onion, turmeric, and pepper. These ingredients can interfere with the chemical reactions that create HCAs during cooking. The benefit goes beyond simply cutting off blackened parts after grilling. A marinade can act as a protective barrier on the meat’s surface and reduce how quickly it overheats. Research and expert guidance cited in the broader discussion suggest marinating meat, poultry, or fish for at least 30 minutes can significantly lower formation of these compounds. Experts also advise avoiding sugary sauces during high-heat grilling, since they can burn and promote charring. Using leaner cuts, flipping meat often, limiting flare-ups, and cooking at lower temperatures when possible can further reduce risk.

Q: Are grilled plant-based meats truly safer, or do they form the same carcinogens as their animal-based counterparts?

Grilled plant-based meats are generally safer than grilled red or processed meats, but they are not risk-free and can still form some of the same harmful compounds. The biggest difference is that animal meats, especially red and processed meats, carry multiple cancer-related risks at once. Beyond grilling-related chemicals, red meat contains heme iron, and processed meats can contain nitrates or nitrites that contribute to carcinogenic compounds. High-heat cooking of animal meat also produces heterocyclic amines, or HCAs, which form from compounds found in muscle meat, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, which form when fat drips onto flames and smoke coats the food. Plant-based meats likely avoid much of the HCA problem because they do not contain the same muscle-meat components, particularly creatine, that drive HCA formation. They also do not contain heme iron in the same way red meat does. But they can still pick up PAHs if grilled over open flame, exposed to smoke, or heavily charred. So they do not become automatically “safe” just because they are plant-based. Overall, the evidence suggests plant-based meats usually present a lower colorectal cancer risk than animal-based processed or red meats, especially when they are lower in sodium and less heavily processed. But grilling method still matters. Lower heat, fewer flare-ups, frequent turning, avoiding blackened surfaces, and trimming charred bits reduce risk for both plant-based and animal-based foods.

2 articles · Updated · health.yahoo.com · Jul 10

New Haven-based GI oncology director Dr. Jeremy Kort-Mansky appeared on Good Morning Connecticut to address how cooked meats may affect colon cancer risk.
The segment was timed to the summer grilling season, when questions about meat preparation and cancer risk typically draw more public attention.
Kort-Mansky serves as clinical director of GI medical oncology at Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital, framing the discussion around colon-cancer concerns.

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health.yahoo.com2d ago

Dr. Jeremy Kort-Mansky Discusses Cooked Meats and Colon Cancer Risk

AOL2d ago

What you should know about cooked meats and what's the risk for colon cancer? - AOL

What marinade ingredients can neutralize cancer-causing chemicals from grilling, beyond just trimming the char?

Are grilled plant-based meats truly safer, or do they form the same carcinogens as their animal-based counterparts?

With experts and federal guidelines at odds, how much red meat is actually safe to eat each week?

Sources

2 total

health.yahoo.com2d ago

Dr. Jeremy Kort-Mansky Discusses Cooked Meats and Colon Cancer Risk

AOL2d ago

What you should know about cooked meats and what's the risk for colon cancer? - AOL

Yale Oncologist Discusses Colon Cancer Risk From Cooked Meats as Summer Grilling Season Starts

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