Is barbequed meat healthy?

“These chemicals may damage heart muscles, and genetic material (DNA), and accelerate the ageing process in your cells and subsequently your body,” Anjali added. “Consuming smoked, barbequed, or grilled meat over a period of time increases the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. The risk is all the more in women who eat fewer fruits and veggies in their diet. The high saturated fat content in these meats also has a hand in cancer and heart diseases,” she continued.

Agreeing, Ishti Saluja, a nutritionist, told indianexpress.com, “The concern revolves around two chemicals formed during the process — HCAs and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These have been shown in lab studies to alter DNA in a way that increases the odds of developing various forms of the disease — including breast cancer.”

 

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Further, Ishti explained that HCAs are chemicals that are formed on the flesh of meat, poultry, or seafood when they’re cooked at a high temperature. “Such high temperatures create a reaction between amino acids, sugars, and creatine in the muscle of the meat you cook. This, further, alters the DNA in a way that increases the odds of developing various forms of cancer. The longer you grill meat, the more HCAs and PAHs are formed,” she added.

However, Ishti pointed out that “HCAs and PAHs are capable of damaging the DNA only after they are metabolised by specific enzymes in the body through a process called bioactivation. Studies have found that the activity of these enzymes can differ among people, so the risk of developing cancer is not certain and may vary amongst each body.”

Nonetheless, Anjali suggested a few ways you can protect yourself against the harm of smoked and barbequed meats:

*Try and eat them occasionally and don’t make them the centerpiece of your meals.

*Balance it out with the intake of raw salads and fruits in the same meal.

*Squeeze some lime, and eat some raw onion and radish salad so that their antioxidant effect can counteract some of the damage caused by the meats.

“Continually rotating the meat limits heat exposure and may decrease HCA formation. Another way to reduce both PAH and HCA consumption from meat is to discard super-blackened spots, where these compounds are concentrated. Finally, there is also some evidence that marinating the meat may help in reducing HCA and PAH concentration levels,” suggested Ishti.

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