Reduce Carcinogens in Well Done Meat

Practically all non vegetarian fare is rich in amino acids, sugars, and a particular protein called creatinine.  Since the danger of food poisoning is particularly high in such fare, we tend to cook it well. But cooking it well, converts these friendly nutrients into deadly carcinogenic poisons such as heterocyclic amines (HCA) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). This in turn leads to colorectal adenoma, pancreatic cancer, and colorectal cancer.

An innocuous nutrient, creatinine turns into carcinogenic compounds such as heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P). These form on the surface of meat during grilling and frying; and the danger levels of these depend on the cooking temperature and how well it is done.

Research study also showed that it is barbecued and pan-fried meats that led to prostate cancer risks and carcinogenic tendencies. It s not the volume of intake that matters but the quality of intake

1. Cooking methods that help combat this include
2. Cooking with anti-oxidant rich foods such as Cherries
3. Vitamin E supplements to meat
4. Antioxidant rich seasonings such as garlic, rosemary, onions, and sage. Using Olive oil is good as it is rich in phenolic compounds.
5. Finishing your meal with polyphenolic rich green tea
6. Precook your meats in the microwave and do not use the gravy. The gravy is rich in many of the precursors of carcinogens.
7. When grilling, wrap the meat in foil to protect it from the direct flame.
8. Cooking meat in water or another liquid prevent it from getting too hot or charred. 

Methods such as these reduce the HCAs produced while cooking by nearly 69 to 78.5 percent. Using Olive oil and antioxidant sauteeing and seasoning block the formation of HCAs and PAHs. The polyphenols in green tea help us get rid of whatever carcinogenic compounds that we do intake. Marinating meats overnight in thin sauces like teriyaki sauce or a standard turmeric-garlic marinade reduce formation of both heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P)during grilling. Cooking time is also a chief factor as these reductions ranged from 40 to 65 percent. Good news for drinkers the world over: alcoholic beverages such as beer help protect against HCAs.

Other helpful tips include marinating meat in thin liquids(avoid barbeque sauce!), eating less red meat, cutting out salt cured meats such as cold cuts, hot dogs, bacon and ham.
Always trim excess fat and try cooking with soy isoflavones.