- Grilling meat at excessive temperatures can produce carcinogenic compounds, however marinating earlier than cooking can cut back these chemical compounds by greater than 90%.
- Marinades that embody components like vinegar, citrus, wine, yogurt, and antioxidant-rich herbs similar to garlic, rosemary, and thyme are the best.
- Experts advise pairing grilled meats with vegatables and fruits to assist counteract dangerous compounds and reduce long-term most cancers threat.
Grilled meat actually makes for an excellent dinner. However, there’s one facet impact that nobody desires as a facet dish: an increased risk of cancer. Fortunately, there is a quite simple — and scrumptious — method to cut back that threat.
As the UCLA Health Center (and numerous studies) explains, “consuming meat cooked over excessive temperatures can improve the chance of most cancers” as a result of it could actually char the meat, which “produces carcinogenic chemical compounds often called heterocyclic amines and polycyclic fragrant hydrocarbons.” The extra you are uncovered to those chemical compounds, the extra injury they’ll do to your DNA, and “over time can turn into tumors.”
And whereas there are numerous methods to scale back your threat, similar to not overcooking your meat, trimming off charred areas, and turning your meat often whereas cooking over an open flame, specialists additionally suggest another tasty choice: marinating your meat first.
“Marinades can considerably cut back the carcinogenic compounds shaped in grilling or cooking meats at excessive temperatures. Even marinating meat for as little as 40 minutes appears to scale back these compounds by over 90%,” the Karmanos Cancer Institute at Wayne State University defined. The institute famous that it is unclear why marinades appear to be so protecting, however it might be as a result of antioxidants within the marinade or as a result of it provides a “easy cooling impact of marinades on meat.”
“The marinade of sugar and oil may act as a barrier between the meat and the warmth, then that’s what turns into seared as an alternative of the meat,” Nigel Brockton, the vice chairman of analysis on the American Institute for Cancer Research, shared in a statement. “The spices and herbs not solely make your meat extra flavorful, however their antioxidant properties could forestall the formation of dangerous carcinogenic compounds.”
A 2023 study on marinades additionally discovered that marinating can create a bodily barrier on the meat, with the liquid layer decreasing direct contact with the flame and smoke from a grill, whereas additionally including extra moisture to the meat itself. The research additionally discovered that the longer you marinate, the higher the outcomes; nonetheless, extreme time in marinades can alter the meat’s texture, so it is best to maintain the marination time to 24 hours or much less. Additionally, it discovered that the best components for decreasing dangerous chemical compounds embody acids similar to vinegar, citrus juice, wine, and yogurt, in addition to herbs and spices like garlic, onion, rosemary, thyme, and oregano.
6 methods to make your grilled meat much less carcinogenic
A 2025 report printed within the journal Discover Food offered six easy tricks to decrease your carcinogen threat when cooking meat. They embody:
- Use butter, olive oil, or different fat, and keep away from direct publicity to the pan or warmth supply when cooking meat or fish.
- Reduce cooking temperature and cooking time each time potential to scale back carcinogen formation. According to the researchers, the best methodology is to pre-cook the meat within the microwave.
- Regularly flip your meat over an open flame to reduce carcinogen formation and stop the meat from overheating.
- Use each “pure and artificial antioxidants” to neutralize free radicals. Think of herbs and spices like garlic, ginger, pepper, tomato, and onion.
- Apply flavorings and marinades earlier than cooking to additional cut back your threat.
- Use an air fryer, infrared oven, or sous vide each time potential to reduce charring.
The most important level is not to fret an excessive amount of about your meats, so long as you are not charring each meal each single day. “It’s not so much a one-time experience, such as an occasion where you kept your meat on the grill too long and it turned black. It’s more of a message about one’s lifestyle,” Dr. Catherine Carpenter, a professor of medical diet and a member of the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, added. “You’ve been cooking that way for 30 years; every weekend, there’s a barbecue, you grill the meat at high temperatures, and all of this blackening occurs. That’s when it becomes a problem in terms of cancer risk.”
Carpenter and her colleagues have another method to cut back your threat of most cancers, and that is by pairing your meat with vegatables and fruits, “which comprise antioxidants that counteract the consequences of the cancer-causing chemical compounds.”
How to construct a greater marinade
Marinating your meat earlier than grilling isn’t nearly taste — it’s a confirmed method to cut back the dangerous compounds that may kind when cooking over excessive warmth. A very good marinade provides moisture, creates a barrier in opposition to smoke and flame, and delivers protecting antioxidants that assist forestall charring from turning harmful.
- Use an acidic base: Start with vinegar, citrus juice, wine, or yogurt to tenderize meat and restrict carcinogen formation.
- Add antioxidant boosters: Add herbs and spices like garlic, onion, rosemary, thyme, and oregano for further safety.
- Don’t overlook about barrier builders: A contact of oil or sugar helps create a light-weight coating that sears as an alternative of burns.
- Timing tip: Marinate for no less than 40 minutes for optimum profit.
