Ugg. Undercooked Meat Is Bad. Overcooked, It Might Cause Cancer
Once again, we’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. While consumers are continuously reminded to cook their meat thoroughly before sitting down for dinner, the results of a new study suggest that grilling your filet until it resembles a hockey puck could have deadly consequences as well. The study links consumption of burned or charred pieces of meat to an increased risk of pancreatic cancer.
Dr. Kristin Anderson, an epidemiologist with the School of Public Health, at the University of Minnesota, was recently quoted as saying that "we’re still trying to understand how this works." She said it’s been known for some time that particular carcinogens exist in meat, as they do in many other foods, "but the question is what causes them to react and how that’s relevant in meat."
The study, which Anderson presented at the recent meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, and which was based on a prospective analysis that included more than 62,500 participants, linked the increased risk of pancreatic cancer to consumption of meats that had been well-cooked, or over-cooked by frying, grilling or barbecuing. At the meeting, Anderson told her colleagues that her research “has been focused on pancreatic cancer for some time, and we want to identify ways to prevent the cancer because treatments are very limited and the cancer is often fatal."
Data was gathered over nine years. According to the research, subjects who preferred very well-done steak were almost 60 percent more likely to get pancreatic cancer than those who consumed their steak less well-done or who didn’t eat steak at all. When overall consumption and doneness preferences were used to estimate the meat-derived carcinogen intake for subjects, respondents who had the highest intake had 70 percent higher risk than those with the lowest intake.
Anderson, who also stated that her husband "has a big Weber grill in the backyard," said the study has generated a lot of interest, mostly "because people relate to meat." Several of her colleagues, she added, have told her she "had taken all the fun away."
And truly, there is certainly a lot of fun to be had in eating a piece of charcoal. I do wonder, however, whether we should really be looking deeper into the issue. Who are these people, and does their increased cancer risk really correlate to the fact that they like burnt meat?
Any individual who actually enjoys eating charred black crunch is most likely lacking taste in other ways as well. Let’s be honest, someone who can’t distinguish a difference in quality between ash and viably edible meat is apt to demonstrate poor judgment across the board. One can only assume that the burnt meat crowd is composed of the same individuals who shamelessly consume cheap booze, chain smoke, live near power lines, stand near the microwave, use artificial sweeteners, get x-rays, or, for those who live in Los Angeles; breathe.
Science also tells us that, across the biological spectrum, Darwinian law mandates the culling of the weak, so that only the strongest and most adaptable can survive and replicate over the millennia. So, it should come as no surprise then that people who actually enjoy incinerated meat (and the carcinogenic byproducts which are created when you burn ANY food beyond recognition) would have an increased likelihood of becoming gravely ill.
Thus, in a John Maddenesque delivery of wisdom and insight, Anderson concludes we would all be better off (and, frankly, more likely to enjoy our steak) if we would simply "Lower the temperature. Use indirect heat. Wrap meat in foil. Use marinades, and cut off the charred parts.” And, “you can cook food thoroughly,” Anderson urges, “without burning it."
So, will I heed Anderson’s advice? Probably. But, I also remain quite hopeful that, in coming years, with more studies and additional research, we will be better able to distinguish the absolute cancer risk between those sophisticated enough to eat steak the way it was meant to be served, and those who prefer a good beer, a shot of whiskey, and chunk of blackened meat cooked (well beyond recognition) over an open fire...
I feel that you have quite a biased opinion and do not leave room for equal discussion on your part. This, like all other biased essays, is hard to read when your "informative" voice stands out so negatively. Burnt meat is an acquired taste just like seafood, italian food, mexican food...etc. To understand it is to enjoy it. You obviously are not tolerant of other people's knowledge. I work at a restaurant in New York and see many people come through wanting burnt steak, including myself, and none of which are redneck. I don't even drink. Just an acquired taste.
cool