season kicks off, experts advice Canadians to take precautions when grilling red meats and hot dogs. While those tempting char marks add flavour, they also carry potential health risks.Cooking meat at high temperatures can create potentially harmful chemicals. These include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic amines . While a direct link to human cancer hasn’t been established,“There are two things to be aware of when it comes to barbecuing.
The key, Holmes cautioned, is to avoid charring the meat. The resulting smoke and charred bits contain carcinogens that can increase cancer risk.HCAs are formed when amino acids, sugars and creatine or creatinine react at high temperatures, the NIH stated on its website.PAHs happen when fat and juices from meat are grilled directly over a heated surface or open fire drip onto the surface or fire, causing flames and smoke. The smoke contains PAHs that then stick to the surface of the meat.
The Canadian Cancer Society advises limiting red meat to three servings each week. A serving is 85 grams when cooked — smaller than a deck of cards. “There is a link between these carcinogens in meat and barbecuing, the reality is that with barbeques, we don’t get to barbeque every day of the year. In a lot of cases, it’s just a week or two. So we shouldn’t be overly concerned,” he said.The best way to safeguard against cancerous compounds when grilling meat on the barbecue is by marinating it, Warriner said.