Limit This Cooking Style for Healthier Breasts

If your weekend barbecue has you thinking you should be grilling every night, consider this:

In a study, women who consumed the most barbecued meat over their lifetimes had a 50 percent higher risk of postmenopausal breast cancer.

Beware of BBQ
Seems that high-heat cooking -- such as grilling -- creates carcinogens that may harm breast tissue. Meat is particularly problematic because when the fat drips onto the coals below, it creates dangerous compounds called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). They go airborne and land on your burger, steak, or fillet. And when those PAHs get eaten and enter your system, they may harm cells. (Can't give up the grill? Try these eight tips to make grilled meats safer for you.)

A Lifetime of Risk
Going to a barbecue this weekend? Don't stress. Eating grilled meat occasionally probably isn't cause for concern. But you may want to avoid making it a daily habit. In the study, women who consumed the most barbecued, grilled, and smoked meat over a lifetime had the highest risk of postmenopausal breast cancer -- especially if they rarely ate fruits and vegetables. It's possible the antioxidants in produce help offset some of the damaging effects of PAHs. Take more steps toward a cancer-free future with these tips:

• Take it easy on alcohol. Overdoing it increases the risk of several cancers. Get the complete picture on alcohol and your health with this article.
• Go meatless more often. A diet high in fat has been linked to colon, uterine, and prostate cancer. You won't miss the meat in these tasty Veggie Kabobs.
• Get moving to get healthier. Exercise can help fend off breast, colon, and kidney cancer. Discover five ways to make a regular walking habit stick.

Confused about the latest mammogram guidelines? Find out what RealAge experts Michael Roizen, MD, and Mehmet Oz, MD, have to say about them.

RealAge Benefit

Learning a new RealAge cooking technique every month can make your RealAge up to 6 years younger. Take the RealAge Test!

References

Actively patrolling your health can make your RealAge as much as 12 years younger. Take the RealAge Test  Copyright 2010 RealAge