Barbecue affects the DNA of meat and may increase the risk of cancer

We’ve known for some time that eating red meat and fried foods increases your risk of many health conditions. But now researchers have identified the alleged culprit: the DNA of heat-damaged food.

The weather has been nice for days – and many people are having a roast from the shed again. However, if it’s up to the scientists, you have to be a little careful with the meat you throw on the grill. It is known that food cooked at high temperatures increases the risk of cancer. and in New study Researchers have discovered a previously unknown mechanism that explains why this is so.

Food DNA
Many people don’t realize it, but the food we eat (such as meat, fish, grains, vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, etc.) contains DNA – it comes from living organisms. The amounts of DNA we ingest every day are not negligible. For example, a 500 gram steak contains more than 1 gram of cow DNA.

DNA damage
When we cook these foods at high temperatures, our DNA gets damaged. This can then affect your DNA, increasing your risk of developing cancer. “We’ve shown that some cooking processes can damage the DNA of food,” says researcher Eric Cole. We also found that consuming this damaged DNA can put us at risk later on. This can completely change our perception of the way we prepare food.”

Stady
Researchers made this discovery after an interesting experiment. For example, they decided to prepare ground beef, pork and potatoes in two different ways: boil for 15 minutes at 100°C and bake for twenty minutes at 220°C. After analysis, it appears that all three foods experienced DNA damage in both cooking and baking. Remarkably, potato DNA was less destructive than meat, for unknown reasons.

cancer
Then the team took a closer look at the damage to the DNA. The two most common types of spoilage they found in the samples are known to be called “gentuxi”. This means that they can eventually affect how genes work and cause mutations that cause cells to multiply out of control – which can then lead to cancer.

Effect on cultured human and rat cells
In the next step, the researchers fed mice a solution containing heat-damaged DNA from food. They also exposed human cells grown in the lab to this. Using fluorescent particles, they were able to see how the bodies of mice and cultured cells reacted to the damaged DNA. This confirmed the researchers’ suspicions: Ingestion of heat-damaged DNA caused significant DNA damage in cells grown in the lab and in the small intestines of mice—which makes sense, since that’s where food is digested.

new way
Taken together, the study reveals an intriguing, previously unknown way in which red meat leads to cancer. When we prepare meat on the grill, the DNA it contains can be damaged by the high temperatures it is exposed to. When we eat these damaged components, they can be incorporated into our DNA. This intake then causes direct damage to our DNA. This can cause genetic mutations that can eventually lead to cancer and other diseases.

Previous studies
By the way, this is not the first time that scientists have shown that highly heated and fried foods can cause DNA damage. But in these previous studies, the damage has been attributed to specific small particles. “We have no doubt that these small molecules that were discovered in previous studies are indeed dangerous,” says Cole. “But what has not been previously documented by our study is that large amounts of heat-affected food DNA can be incorporated into our DNA.”

worrying
Although the results are somewhat alarming, it is still too early to say whether the new mechanism discovered actually applies to humans. This is because the researchers only studied the uptake of heat-damaged DNA in cultured cells and mice.

However, the findings could have important implications for our dietary choices and overall health. The team plans to test more foods and cooking methods. “Our research raises many questions about completely unexplored, but potentially significant, chronic health risks from eating foods that are grilled, baked, or otherwise prepared at high temperatures,” Cole says. We don’t yet know where these initial results will lead. Therefore, we invite scholars to build on this.