Death by BBQ

Recently, researchers at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health (UMSPH) analyzed data on the meat intake and cooking methods of nearly 63,000 subjects. The study, the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Multi-Center Screening Trial, lasted nine years, and yielded some every interesting result.

Over the course of the nine-year study, researchers at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health found that those who preferred their meat extra-crispy were almost 60% more likely to develop pancreatic cancer than participants who ate steak less well done or did not eat steak at all.

The University of Minnesota School of Public Health found that frying, grilling and barbecuing red meat could form cancer-causing chemicals called acrylamides and heterocyclic amines. These carcinogens, however, are not formed when meat is baked or stewed

"We cannot say with absolute certainty that the risk is increased due to carcinogens formed in burned meat," Kristin Anderson, an associate professor at the UMSPH. "However those who enjoy either fried or barbecued meat should consider turning down the heat or cutting off burned portions when it's finished."

At the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting in Denver, the researchers at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health revealed that over the course of their study 208 participants developed pancreatic cancer.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health analyzed the carcinogen intake based on overall meat consumption and doneness preferences, and found that those with highest intake had 70 percent higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer than those with the lowest intake.

This is not to say the less you cook your meat the better off you are. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that every year about 76 million people in the United States become ill from pathogens, or disease-causing substances, in food. A large portion of which are the result of undercooked meat.

The researchers at University of Minnesota School of Public Health suggest cooking meat thoroughly enough to kill bacteria but avoiding charring, reducing red meat intake, and increasing the percentage of your red meat diet that is baked or stewed.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the appropriate internal temperature for roasts, steaks, and chops of beef, veal, and lamb is 145°F.

Highlights from the AACR 100th Annual Meeting 2009 April 18-22, 2009, Denver, Colorado, www.aacr.org

Bacteria and Foodborne Illness, www.digestive.niddk.nih.gov

David Derbyshire, How well-done meat can raise the risk of getting cancer, www.dailymail.co.uk