One way of cooking increases the risk of cancer

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Cooking at home helps not only to save money, but also to give dinner a cozy atmosphere. However, it is important to use safe cooking methods and be aware of the health risks associated with them.

According to the US National Cancer Institute, heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are chemicals produced when meat, including beef, pork, fish or poultry, is cooked using high heat. This is frying in a pan or cooking on an open fire.

These chemical compounds have the ability to alter DNA, leading to an increased risk of certain types of cancer, including gastrointestinal, prostate, and lung cancers. And at higher temperatures and duration of cooking, the risk is even higher. The problem extends not only to poultry, fish and red meat. Starchy, high-carb foods cooked at high temperatures (such as fried potato chips or burnt toast) are prone to the formation of acrylamide, another chemical carcinogen, according to the American Cancer Society.

Although outdoor grilling fire gives food taste and texture, and it signals the presence of harmful compounds. Charring is the result of a reaction between sugars and amino acids and usually occurs as a result of direct contact of food with an open flame. PAHs occur when juices or grease drip onto or ignite under a heated surface, resulting in fire and smoke. Smoke itself contains a chemical that can stick to food during cooking.

Research has shown that exposure to smoke and vegetable oil vapors can increase the risk of lung cancer, and that various cooking methods such as deep-frying compared to pan-frying may have different undesirable effects.