Food processing methods that increase the risk of cancer
According to American research, cooking at high temperatures can destroy the DNA of food, affecting those who eat it.
Generally, what we eat affects us.healthSome foods can increase the risk of disease while others can decrease it. Scientists believe that the way food is prepared can increase the risk of cancer.
Authors from Stanford University (USA) discovered that regularly eating foods cooked at high temperatures – such as red meat and deep-fried dishes – can cause this disease.
According to research published inACS Central ScienceWhen food is damaged by heat, components of DNA can be absorbed during digestion and integrate into the DNA of the person eating it. This directly damages human DNA, potentially causing gene mutations that lead to cancer and other diseases.
According toExpressThe analysis was conducted on mice and laboratory-cultured cells, but the research team believes the effects would be similar in humans.
"We've shown that cooking can damage DNA in food, and absorbing this DNA can be risky," said study author Eric Kool. These findings could really change our understanding of food preparation."
Any food we eat contains DNA from the original organisms along with vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. For example, a 500g steak will contain more than 1g of bovine DNA.
This suggests that human exposure to heat can lead to significant damage to DNA.
The research team cooked ground beef, ground pork, and potatoes in two different ways – steaming for 15 minutes or baking for 20 minutes.
They noted that all three foods showed DNA damage when boiled and baked. High temperatures caused more DNA damage in most cases. Even boiling—a relatively low cooking temperature—resulted in some DNA damage. It is not yet clear why potatoes suffered less DNA damage at high temperatures compared to meat.
Next, a solution containing heat-damaged DNA was fed to mice and exposed to laboratory-cultured cells.
The results showed that cells were significantly damaged when they received DNA from heat-damaged food. In the mice, DNA damage mainly occurred in the cells of the small intestine, as this is where most of the food digestion takes place.
The authors now plan to experiment with other food types using several different food preparation methods.
"Our research raises many previously unexplored questions about the chronic health risks of eating foods that are baked, fried, or cooked at high temperatures," said scientist Kool.