Overcooking your meat may cause Prostate Cancer

April 3rd, 2006

Summer is almost here and now is the time we all start getting the barbeque grills out of the garage and get ready for the big Memorial Day weekend barbeque.  This will be the start of a long, hot summer filled with delicious meals cooked on our favorite grills.  On thing we must be careful of is not to overcook and char our meat on the grill.  A recent study had put a direct link to charred meat and prostate cancer.

For several years doctors and scientists have known about the dangers of the connection between overcooking meat until it becomes charred.  A compound that is formed when the meat becomes charred is called PHIP.  This compound has been found to cause the growth of prostate cancer in lab rats.

The meat has to be charred enough where the edges are blackened and almost totally burnt.   Most barbequer's would throw this meat in the garbage and take their chances with maybe the potatoe salad and this would be the healthier choice.  The reaserchers contend that we follow some simple grilling guidelines and everything will go well and be healthy:

• Always cook on a clean grill, use a wire brush after and before placing any meat on the grill
• cook meat over a low flame, this method provides for a better cooked piece of meat anyway
• make sure to turn the meat several times if the flames get to intense
• always remove charred pieces of meat especially around the edges