It’s prudent, then, to temper our species’
infatuation with meat. It helped make us what
we are, but now it can help unmake us. We
should eat meat in moderation, and
accompany it with the vegetables and fruits
that complement its nutritional strengths and
limitations.
Minimizing Toxic By-Products in Cooked
Meats We should also prepare meat with care.
Scientists have identified three families of
chemicals created during meat preparation
that damage DNA and cause cancers in
laboratory animals, and that may increase our
risk of developing cancer of the large
intestine.
Heterocyclic Amines HCAs are formed at
high temperatures by the reaction of minor
meat components (creatine and creatinine)
with amino acids. HCA production is
generally greatest at the meat surface where
the temperature is highest and the meat juices