The Biggest Risk to Your Health This Weekend
Today marks the beginning of the long Fourth of July holiday weekend. Throughout America, millions of folks will be firing up their grills.
Despite its popularity... grilling can be dangerous. I'm talking about the hazards to your health that come from grilling meat.
Hot dogs, in particular, will be on many grills this week. Unfortunately, hot dogs are packed with nitrates – a preservative used to keep the meat from spoiling. Nitrates also cause inflammation, which is directly linked to heart disease, arthritis, and high blood pressure.
So what can you do? Take vitamin C after or around the time you eat nitrate-packed foods. Drink orange juice or eat tomatoes with your hot dogs. The vitamin C neutralizes the harm of nitrates. Or you can do what I do and take a 500- to 1,000-milligram vitamin C supplement during my meal.
But hot dogs aren't the only risk...
Grilling also causes two known carcinogens to be released from meats – heterocyclic amines ("HCAs") and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons ("PAHs").
HCAs are produced when creatine, an amino acid found in meat (muscle tissue), combines with the natural sugars in meat and gets heated during cooking. The higher the heat and the longer the cooking time, the more HCAs are produced. And the five foods yielding the highest levels of HCAs (when prepared well done) are chicken breast, steak, pork, salmon, and ground beef.
Whereas HCAs are formed by any high-heat cooking method, PAHs are more closely related to smoke. PAHs are packed in the cloud of smoke that rises when you open the top of your grill. They're produced when a piece of fat from your steak falls into the fire. They come from the partially burned up residue of fuel, like wood or gas, that sticks to the surface of food (and also adds flavor – darn).
PAHs have long been thought to cause some cancers and many other diseases... The best examples of damage linked to PAHs are lung diseases from smoking.
To counteract the release of these carcinogens, do what I do...
I love to use marinades. One of my favorites is a simple combination of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, and pepper. The acid in the vinegar reduces the formation of carcinogens on your grilled foods. In one study, it lowered the HCA production by 90%.
Here are a few more tips to keep you healthy this Fourth of July:
- Don't overcook meat. Rare or medium-rare meats taste better and have fewer HCAs and PAHs. If your wife insists on well done, do it slowly with little flaming.
- Trim extra fat. This cuts down on PAH-filled smoke.
- Use a gas grill. Gas grills cook at a lower and more even temperature than charcoal. They also produce less smoke. If you use charcoal, spread the meat around a large surface.
- Use thin cuts of meat. This cuts down on cooking time, but you still get that great grilled flavor. For thicker cuts, do a quick flash over higher heat to lock in the juices. Then, move it over to cook slowly over indirect heat with the top open. This increases the time on the grill, but it keeps that grilled flavor without smoke, burning, and char.
- Don't eat the burnt parts. These contain higher amounts of harmful chemicals.
- Eat a salad with your meal. Or add some fresh fruits or vegetables to your grill. The vegetables and fruits are low in fat and high in fiber, which helps keep digestion regular. They also contain many cancer-fighting substances, like vitamin C. I love grilling mushrooms, onions, carrots, zucchini, broccoli, corn, potatoes, greens, and red peppers. For grilling fruits, I use peaches, papayas, pineapples, and mangos.
Happy grilling and happy Fourth of July!
Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,
Dr. David Eifrig and the Health & Wealth Bulletin Research Team
July 1, 2023
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Reader question of the week...
Q: I currently have my second ever case of Colorado tick fever. I don't see it on your chart [of tick-borne illnesses], but thought it was worth mentioning to your readers. There is no treatment for it besides treating the symptoms. Your body will gradually get rid of the headaches, body aches, fever, and extreme fatigue over a several-week period. I don't wish it on anybody, but it is a really good excuse for checking your body and clothes for ticks every night! – S.C.
A: Thanks for sharing your story, S.C. We hope you'll feel better soon!
For readers who are interested in a little more information... Colorado tick fever ("CTF") is spread by the Rocky Mountain wood tick. That's the same tick that can also spread Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia (rabbit fever).
CTF is fortunately pretty rare, but it's most common in the Western U.S., in states like Colorado, Utah, Montana, and Wyoming.
As S.C. mentioned, there's no treatment for CTF. And the symptoms can last for several weeks, although you might not start experiencing them for up to two weeks after you were bitten. CTF shares its symptoms with other – potentially more serious – tick diseases. So if you do start experiencing symptoms, make sure to get a proper diagnosis.
Keep sending your questions, comments, and suggestions our way. We read every e-mail... feedback@healthandwealthbulletin.com.
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