368 TRICKS TO LOWER
THE CANCER RISK OF GRILLING
I
include this essay at the risk of never being invited to
another summer barbecue again. No one wants me and my
party-pooping news lurking around the Weber while they’re
trying to enjoy this sacred summer pastime. But before you
jump to “ignorance is bliss,” the bright side is that there are
easy ways to lower the health concerns posed by grilling. And
they won’t feel like much of a sacrifice.
When you grill, two compounds are created: polycyclic aro-
matic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs).
The former happens from the smoke, and the latter happens
from a reaction that takes place only in meat.
These compounds don’t cause cancer, per se. As you’ll
recall, cause is a word they take very seriously in the cancer
research world, saving it for those times when the evidence
is overwhelmingly clear. However, in lab studies, these com-
pounds have been found to alter DNA in a way that could lead to
cancer. For this reason, researchers and public health experts
urge diners to avoid them as best we can. Each year, in fact,
the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) publishes a
guide to “cancer-safe grilling.”
PAHs come from the combustion of organic matter—most
often fat dripping from cooking meat and falling between
grill grates. Those potentially carcinogenic hydrocarbons get
swept up in the smoke and coat the meat. HCAs are easier to
identify. They’re the black char that’s the trademark of the
grilling experience. They are formed when any type of muscle142 how to be a Conscious EaterConscious Eater_02 PT_4th patches.indd 142 10/23/19 1:31 PM