BBQ equals CANCER
June 17th, 2007Three out of four American households own a barbecue grill, according to the Health, Patio, & Barbecue Association. Yet many consumers are unaware that grilling some popular food items can produce cancer-causing compounds called heterocyclic amines (HCAs). Which foods contain the highest concentrations of HCAs? To answer that question, nutrition professionals with The Cancer Project determined the level of HCAs found in commonly grilled foods.
Background
HCAs, a family of mutagenic and cancer-causing compounds, are produced during the cooking of many animal products, including chicken, beef, pork, and fish. In January of 2005, the federal government officially added HCAs to its list of known carcinogens.1
Findings
Cancer Project nutritionists determined that many commonly grilled foods contain alarmingly high levels of HCAs. This table lists the five foods containing the highest levels.
Top Five Worst Foods to Grill
Food HCAs ng/100g*
1. Chicken breast, well done : 14,300 ng/100g2
2. Steak, grilled, well done : 810 ng/100g3
3. Pork, barbecued : 470 ng/100g4
4. Salmon, grilled with skin : 166 ng/100g5
5. Hamburger, grilled, well done : 130 ng/100g3