Everybody knows now that smoke is a carcinogenic. The smoke I am referring to isn’t just tobacco related, but the main forms of smoke from combustable materials, including charcoal  . Almost nearly everything that can burn has carcinogens that are released after it is  burned. Even smoke that comes from a charcoal grill and rises up to help flavor that delicious piece of steak contains carcinogens.   . Fortunately this is just one side of the matter  . All is not lost, your steak can be saved!  Read on and you will learn the captivating story of the discovery of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), an important nutrient for our health. I’ll also share how to avoid picking up those carcinogens, at least most of them  .

Benzopyrene is one of the chemicals that are produced as fat and meat juices fall onto the flames or onto the charcoal briquettes below .The smoke coming out of  the burning  fat, which contains bezopyrene, coats our steak, where it stays, even while we eat it  . Lab tests have shown that benzopyrene can cause mutations in bacteria in the test tube, in fact, benzopyrene actually melds into your DNA, and so is considered as pollution and is carcinogenic. This happens due to what is called intercalation and has to do with the molecular interactions between things (without getting too complex). Benzopyrene is also found in cigarette smoke, no wonder there, but it is also found in coffee, due to the “burning” method used while preparing the beans. 

Scientist’s were aware of some of these facts over 30 years ago . As they are always out for the facts, they continued to research the effects. Scientists went on studying this phenomenon in greater depth, hoping to find more answers, and for a better way to deal with the substance while cooking. Michael Pariza, PhD. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison was one of them. One of the conclusions of his research was that burgers can be cooked safely if done so with care, namely trying to reduce the burning of the meat or of the juices coming from it. This can be done by using proper cooking temperatures, turning the food often to prevent charring, using leaner meats and handling them without pressing or piercing the pieces, since this will cause the flavorful juices to drip out. The main point being it’s not the actual grilling at fault here, but the burning that causes the problem.

Pariza found more through his study that was even more significant  . He found information that would change the direction of his research. As I have pointed above, benzopyrene was found to cause mutations in bacteria in the tube. Things are not the same, though, in natural circumstances. Surprisingly, Pariza found out that there was something in the meat that counteracted the bad effects of the mutagenic benzopyrenes, making the component antimutagenic. So he went deeper into his study to see what this element that had the mutagenic inhibitory effect was. In 1987 he succeeded in isolating this antimutagenic substance, which is CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), an important nutrient for our bodies.

After Pariza’s discovery, laboratory studies have been conducted on animals, demonstrating that conjugated linoleic acid helps animals’ bodies to:

  • Increase lean muscle tissue and reduce body fat .
  • Lower bad cholesterol and maintain healthy arterial circulation .
  • Enhance the immunity system.

As the story of the discovery of CLA shows, it also appears to have anti-carcinogenic effects.