Cancer Facts
- "Many consumers don’t realize that grilling some food products can produce cancer causing compounds called heterocyclic amines, or HCAs. Which foods contain the highest concentrations of these carcinogens? . . . The results, detailed in a new report titled “The Five Worst Foods to Grill,” are eye-opening. Grilled chicken, wrongly considered a healthful food by some consumers, actually contains the highest concentrations of carcinogenic HCAs. Other meat products, including beef, pork, salmon, and hamburger, also contain alarmingly high HCA levels. . . . In January 2005, the federal government added HCAs to its official list of carcinogens.
As known mutagens, HCAs can bind directly to DNA, cause mutation, and promote cancer initiation. HCAs are produced during cooking . . . muscle tissues. . . . The longer and hotter the meat is cooked, the more of these compounds form. Grilling meat also produces other mutagens, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are widely believed to play a significant role in human cancers. . . . Grilled vegetables and fruits have no HCAs or negligible amounts, even when cooked over the hottest flames. [5]"
- "A meta-analysis of 21 studies that examined a relationship between dairy product consumption and ovarian cancer risk found that every 10 grams of lactose consumed (the amount in one glass of milk) on a daily basis increased ovarian cancer risk by 13 percent. The study found a stronger link in cohort studies than in case-control studies. Skim, low-fat, and whole milk, yogurt, cheese, and total lactose (dairy sugar) consumption was analyzed in these studies. Previous studies have suggested that galactose, a byproduct of lactose digestion, may have a toxic effect on a woman’s ovaries. [6]"
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Posted/Updated: 1/1/07
