Could barbecue meat give you CANCER?

Cooking meat over an open fire may be linked to cancer, emerging research claims.

High-temperature cooking, such as barbecuing and pan-frying, leads to the formation of carcinogenic chemicals on meat, according to a growing swell of research.

These potentially-harmful substances have been found to cause changes in the DNA that may increase the risk of cancer, according to a study published in April.

Experts insist this research does not mean we should all throw away our grills.

However, they warn we need to be wary of the amount of grilled meat we consume.

When meat is grilled it becomes covered with two substances, called heterocyclic aromatic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, according to the National Cancer Institute.

The first type of chemical is formed when the meat's proteins, sugars and muscle particles react to extremely high temperatures.

The second substance is formed when the meat's juice and fat catches flame and those flames stick to the meat, giving it its charred or grilled appearance. 

Japanese scientists have examined both of these chemicals' effect on rodents and the startling results were published in the 1980s. 

Rats who were fed a diet of HAA foods developed tumors in various organs.

When given PAHs, rodents developed cancers, including leukemia and tumors of the gastrointestinal tract and lungs.

However, these animals were given extremely high doses of both of these chemicals that humans don't typically consume in their diets. 

Scientists have tested the theory that HAA can lead to cancer in humans and had their results published in the Journal of Urology in April. 

Led by Robert Turesky, a biochemical toxicologist at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, the study found proof that the chemicals could cause cancer.

Biopsies of prostate tumors revealed the DNA of the cancer cells had been ruined by HAAs.

Speaking to the Washington Post, Turesky said: 'This is the first unequivocal proof that, once you eat the cooked meat mutagens, some of them find their way to the prostate and damage the prostate.'

However, experts aren't advising people to give up grilling altogether.

Turesky added: 'I still do enjoy barbecue. I just don't eat it as often.'

There are more than 34,000 cancer deaths in world that are caused by diets that are high in processed meats, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

The agency reported in 2015 that processed meat, such as hot dogs, beef jerky, bacon and ham, were carcinogenic to humans.

The organization said the classification was based on sufficient evidence in humans that the consumption of processed meat causes colorectal or colon cancer.

Furthermore, the experts determined that each serving of processed meat eaten daily raises this risk of cancer by 18 percent. 

A recent study by the National Cancer Institute in Maryland found that eating red meat increases the chance of dying from nine major diseases.

Beef, lamb and pork raises the risk of death from cancer, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease and diabetes, scientists have found.

These meats also increase your susceptibility of stroke, infections and kidney, liver and lung disease.

Yet, regularly eating white meat may reverse the damage, the researchers added.

Those who frequently consume chicken and fish are 25 percent less likely to die from various diseases than those who rarely eat white meat. 

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