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No matter how much you like grilled meat, no matter if it’s fish, chicken or beef, we have some bad news for you. According to researchers, red or white meat cooked over an open flame or at very high temperatures can increase someone’s risk of developing high blood pressure.
So, if you like to grill, barbecue or roast your meat, you might want to think again. Actually, evidence already shows that meat that has been cooked at high temperatures can contain cancer-causing chemicals.
According to Gang Liu, the leader of the research which has recently been presented at an American Heart Association meeting, avoiding cooking red and white meat at high temperatures can do a lot of good. For once, it can decrease the risk of hypertension among people who like to eat red meat, fish or chicken. Also, avoiding well-done meat or even charred meat can help too.
Well-done meat can increase the risk of hypertension
Currently, high blood pressure affects about half of the adults in the United States. It is often called the “silent killer” because it doesn’t really have symptoms and can lead to a stroke or heart attack.
In order to reach this conclusion, the researchers followed a large number of people for 12 to 16 years to see if they develop hypertension, cancer, cardiovascular disease or diabetes. After this period, 37,123 of them developed high blood pressure.
The people who reported eating red meat, chicken or fish at least twice a week and roasted, grilled or broiled it, had a 17% higher risk of developing high blood pressure. When it came to people who liked their meat well done, the risk of 15% higher too, in comparison with those who liked it rarer.
While the experts are not really sure why is this happening, it may have something to do with chemicals developing in the meat at high temperatures.
Image source: pexels
