2 days ago
Grilling and cancer: Most Americans don't know the link
Only 20% of Americans understand grilled meats ' link to cancer, according to an American Institute for Cancer Research survey.
Why it matters: Grills across America will be fired up this Fourth of July weekend.
Catch up quick: Grilling meats — including hot dogs, chicken and fish — can create potential carcinogens, including heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
Plus, hot dogs themselves were declared carcinogens in 2015 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
How it works: When amino acids, sugars and creatine inside meat are exposed to high heat, a chemical reaction creates HCAs.
PAHs form outside the meat when fat and juices drip out and cause smoke that sticks to the surface.
Between the lines: More heat means more HCAs and PAHs — and that trademark charred black look grillmasters love to see.
Yes, but: Grilling doesn't have this effect on all foods.
For example, tossing vegetables and fruits on the grill doesn't produce HCAs.
What we're hearing: Even eating small amounts of processed meat could increase cancer risk, American Cancer Society's senior principal scientist of population science, Marissa Shams-White, told Axios.
