Page "Cooking" Paragraph 51

Several studies published since 1990 indicate that cooking meat at high temperature creates heterocyclic amines ( HCAs ), which are thought to increase cancer risk in humans.

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute found that human subjects who ate beef rare or medium-rare had less than one third the risk of stomach cancer than those who ate beef medium-well or well-done.

While eating meat raw may be the only way to avoid HCAs fully, the National Cancer Institute states that cooking meat below creates " negligible amounts " of HCAs.

Also, microwaving meat before cooking may reduce HCAs by 90 %.

Nitrosamines, present in processed and cooked foods, have also been noted as being carcinogenic, being linked to colon cancer.