Does Eating Burnt Food Affect Your Health?


Grilled or barbecued food sounds great to many of us. We also very much enjoy our mug of coffee made from roasted coffee beans first thing in the morning. French fries are a must to many of us who hit the restaurants and cafés for lunch, dinner and other meals. Many of us are so accustomed to eating food that has been cooked at high temperatures, especially the ones that have charred or burnt a little bit. Surely some of us are wondering whether burnt food is really bad for our health; especially when there is an on-going claim that

burnt food causes cancer. To answer this question we have to know what happens to food when they are overcooked or burnt.

Burnt food and its nutritional value

A big disadvantage of burning food, such as when the food is being barbecued, grilled, pan-fried, deep-fried or broiled, is that on overcooking, the food loses many of its beneficial nutrients. Overcooking food, destroys nutrients such as water soluble vitamins, denatures proteins, and changes the structure of fats and carbohydrates, ridding the food of the benefits these vital nutrients bring to food. Altered structure of carbohydrates results in an increase in the glycaemic index of the food. When the structure of fats such as those found in vegetable oils change due to overcooking or reheating, unhealthy fats such as trans fats are created. In this regard, those who are opting to eat healthily should definitely avoid eating burnt food on a regular basis.

Burnt food and carcinogens

High temperature cooking of meats, as in pan-frying, grilling, barbecuing etc., creates carcinogenic compounds called Heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). They are produced in higher quantities if the food is cooked for a long time or if the food is directly exposed to open flame. The amount of these compounds in cooked food depends on the method and duration of cooking. It is found that significant amounts of HCAs are not seen in foods other than meat that is cooked at high temperatures. Cooking methods other than grilling or barbecuing, for example smoking of fish or meat, can also lead to the formation of PAHs.

Studies have revealed that exposure to high amounts of HCAs and PAHs can cause cancer in animals. The cancerous effects of these compounds are evident only after the bioactivation of these compounds in the body. The process of bioactivation depends on specific enzymes in the body, which differs from person to person. Population based studies have failed to determine

a specific exposure level of a person to these compounds in cooked food (meat) due to the difficulty in determining specific cooking methods that determine the level of exposure to HCAs and PAHs. In spite of this, extensive research has shown that there are increased risks of pancreatic, prostate, and colorectal cancer associated with eating a lot of overcooked (fried, barbecued) meat. 

Acrylamide is a known carcinogen that is formed during high temperature cooking of foods rich in carbohydrates. The formation of acrylamide in cooking is temperature dependent. Studies have found that French fries and potato chips contain the highest amounts of acrylamide among the foods studied. Coffee and crisps also contain acrylamide. The concentration of acrylamide seems to rise with longer cooking time, therefore overcooking food may produce large amounts of acrylamide. In cooking methods such as frying, baking or deep frying, browning of food leads to acrylamide formation. Research studies have suggested that, women who ingest food rich in acrylamide are twice as likely to get womb or ovarian cancer, and a positive link exists between acrylamide acquired from food and risk of renal cell cancer.

Can you still eat burnt food?

It is best to eat food made by cooking methods that cause food to burn, in moderation. Also using cooking methods that involves low temperature cooking (e.g. stewing, steaming or boiling) should be preferred. Meat eaters should especially avoid eating barbecued or grilled meat regularly. Grilling or barbecuing meat over charcoal should also be avoided. During grilling the food can be turned frequently to avoid charring. Also removing the burnt potion of food before eating, reduces your level of exposure to acrylamides and other chemicals in food that may pose health threats. As long as they are not consumed regularly, people can still enjoy coffee, fries, grilled or barbecued food. Adapting to a balanced diet, rich in fruits, vegetables and high fibre grains and, low in fats may be the best way to avoid getting too much exposure to the possibly harmful chemicals in food.

 

Sources:

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/cooked-meats

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/acrylamide-in-food

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This article was first published on Healthmad



Article Written By Safa

Safa is a blogger at Expertscolumn.com

Last updated on 29-07-2016 3K 0

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