Just when you thought it was safe to enjoy life again, some killjoy comes up with another fear-mongering piece of pseudoscience to rock the boat. The latest from the cancer alarmists claims that “studies” prove eating barbecued meat increases your cancer risk. Ignoring the obvious fact that, if this were true, most of the world’s population would be dead by now, let’s examine this objectively. A cursory look at the evidence should answer the question: Does barbecuing food really cause cancer?
Initially, we can concede that potential carcinogens are present in everything we eat, drink, breathe, or come into contact with, including each other. They exist in nature and are ubiquitous. Do they pose a health threat? Under normal circumstances, the increased risk from these is so small as to be negligible. Potential carcinogens are found in tomatoes, potatoes, meat, water, vegetables, soil, and even the air we breathe. You face a much greater cancer risk from man-made carcinogens introduced into the environment daily, such as car exhaust, industrial pollution, agricultural pesticides, insecticides, processed food additives, and smoking. These are significant dangers, proven by decades of case histories and exhaustive research. Yet, aside from smoking, there doesn’t seem to be much panic over these issues.
Examining the Barbecue Claims
Now, let’s address the core issue: Are there potential carcinogens in barbecued meat, and are there more than in meat cooked by other methods? As mentioned, even raw meat contains potential carcinogens. Cattle are fed steroids, growth hormones, and large amounts of antibiotics, all of which may contain potential carcinogens. During processing, meat is injected with dyes, potassium nitrate (to maintain its red color), various aldehydes, and other chemicals to extend shelf life and retain an artificial bright red color. These additives pose a greater cancer risk than the meat itself. The cooking method has little effect on these factors.
According to several websites, a “study” by the University of Minnesota Medical School claims that cooking meat at high temperatures creates heterocyclic amines (HCAs), which are “known” carcinogens. First, HCAs are present in many things, including vitamins, and are not “known” carcinogens but merely “suspected” based on thin evidence. HCAs are found in all cooked meats to varying degrees. Temperature-wise, 350°F is 350°F, whether on a grill, in an oven, or in a frying pan, regardless of whether you’re using gas, charcoal, or another heat source. The cooking style is irrelevant. After a thorough search, I found the “study” at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16172241?dopt=abstract. It’s not a scientific study but a poll of 867 people observed over nine years, recording cancer incidences. This is poor statistical data, riddled with uncontrolled variables. There’s no evidence that those who developed cancer did so specifically from eating well-done meat. Further, it’s not a peer-reviewed paper but an oral report based on flimsy evidence. HCAs are also suspected neurotoxins, yet the study didn’t address potential links to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ADD, or other neurological disorders. The study’s director, Dr. Kirsten Anderson, is not a medical doctor but an associate professor specializing in oncology education, with no medical license or experience in cancer treatment or lab research. This report only suggests that further study might be warranted.
Another overlooked factor is that marinades, such as olive oil and garlic, can reduce HCAs by up to 90%. Who barbecues without a marinade? The report fixates on “charred” meat, but charred meat is ruined unless you’re intentionally making a blackened dish. You should never allow meat to char, whether barbecuing or using another cooking method. Well-done is not charred, so this should be a self-correcting issue.
The American Medical Association (AMA) doesn’t support this viewpoint. In fact, they’re so unconcerned that they host and attend annual barbecues at medical schools to recruit first-year students. The CDC also has no studies indicating that barbecue increases cancer risk more than other cooking methods. No professional medical organization endorses the view that barbecue is uniquely carcinogenic.
Regarding polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), another suspected culprit, they’re ubiquitous. They’re found in anything burned—cigarettes, pipes, cigars, wood, oil, gas, industrial by-products, car exhaust, and, to a small extent, charcoal and charred meat. According to the CDC, “The level of PAHs in the typical U.S. diet is less than 2 parts of total PAHs per billion parts of food (ppb), or less than 2 micrograms per kilogram of food.” Is this enough to increase cancer risk? The CDC further states, “Studies in animals have shown that PAHs can cause harmful effects on skin, body fluids, and the body’s immune system after short- and long-term exposure. These effects have not been reported in people.” The CDC, the unquestioned authority on human diseases, clearly states that the small amount of PAHs in cooked food doesn’t pose a significant health risk to humans under normal circumstances. However, you might want to keep your pet mice away from the burgers. The full report is available at https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp69.pdf.
After this investigation, I’m confident that it’s perfectly safe to enjoy barbecue without fear of cancer from this source. If it makes you nervous, use marinades and avoid charring the meat. Common sense suggests that if barbecuing caused cancer, humanity wouldn’t have progressed far beyond the Neanderthal stage. So, fire up the grill, grab some steaks, chicken, and burgers, and enjoy!
