Winter is the golden season for barbecue, and businesses selling barbecue foods like lamb skewers are booming. However, recently, the World Health Organization announced the findings of a 3-year study, stating that eating barbecue is as toxic as smoking. Furthermore, research shows that one grilled chicken leg is equivalent in toxicity to 60 cigarettes.
Barbecue Hidden Toxicity
"Let's eat grilled chicken wings..." Yesterday evening around 7 PM, in a "fast food" restaurant, a reporter overheard a young lady suggesting to her friend. However, a recent study indicates that barbecue foods have strong "toxicity."
Benzopyrene Becomes the "Culprit"
Recently, the World Health Organization, after 3 years of research, recently selected and announced the six healthiest foods and the top ten junk foods, stating that eating barbecue is as toxic as smoking.
A report from a US research center stated that eating one grilled chicken leg is equivalent to the toxicity of smoking 60 cigarettes. Women who frequently eat barbecue have twice the risk of developing breast cancer compared to women who do not.
Regarding the "toxicity" of barbecue foods, Hao Fengtong, director of the Department of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology at Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, analyzed for reporters that because these foods are high in fat and calories, they are closely related to "modern diseases" such as hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Oil undergoes chemical structural changes under high-temperature conditions, which may have adverse effects on human health.
It is understood that because meat is grilled directly at high temperatures, decomposed fat drips onto the charcoal, and when it combines with the protein in the meat, a carcinogenic substance called benzopyrene is produced.
Induces Stomach and Intestinal Cancer
Experts explained that if people frequently consume barbecue foods contaminated with benzopyrene, carcinogens can accumulate in the body, posing a risk of inducing stomach and intestinal cancer.
At the same time, another carcinogen exists in barbecue foods—nitrosamines. The production of nitrosamines stems from the marinating process before the meat skewers are grilled. If the marinating time is too long, nitrosamines are easily produced.
Affects Teenage Vision
In addition, according to a recent authoritative US study, excessive consumption of over-cooked, smoked, and grilled meat exposes people to threats from parasitic diseases and can even seriously affect teenagers' vision, causing myopia.
Frying Also Has Harm
In addition to barbecue foods, high-temperature vegetable oil that has been used multiple times and over-fried foods will also produce benzopyrene. This morning, a nutrition expert in the city issued a warning that the harm of fried foods to health should not be ignored.
According to Dr. Yang Ziyan, head of the Nutrition Department at Beijing Hospital, doctors do not advocate eating fried food mainly because oil, under high-temperature action, decomposes a substance called acrylamide. Acrylamide is produced when carbohydrate-rich foods are fried at high temperatures. It can induce benign or malignant tumors. At the same time, excessive oil intake in the human body can easily lead to obesity, which in turn leads to diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular problems.
Childhood Obesity Brings Many Troubles
Doctors at Beijing Children's Hospital told reporters that some children usually eat a lot and move little, and they like to eat fried foods that are high in fat and protein, which can easily lead to obesity and being overweight.
Obesity can cause many problems, such as hypertension and diabetes. Some children may also develop polyps in their noses due to obesity. Polyps affect the child's breathing, causing them to wake up due to breathing difficulties during sleep, which affects sleep quality.
At the same time, many adults eat fried foods no less frequently than children. Dr. Yang from Beijing Hospital told reporters that both adults and children should not eat too many fried foods.
Fried Dough Cakes and Twists Also Cause Cancer
At the same time, experts also reminded people that the carcinogens in common fried foods like fried dough cakes and twists should not be underestimated.
Li Qingtian, a council member of the Chinese Nutrition Society, told reporters: "Fried foods such as fried dough cakes, fried dough sticks, and twists, as well as grilled meat skewers and other baked and smoked foods, also contain carcinogens and should be eaten less or not at all."
Doctors suggest that when dining out, it is better to go to more Chinese restaurants, order a vegetarian dish, a semi-meat dish, and a soup for a more balanced nutrition. When cooking at home, try to make more light foods with less salt, sugar, and oil, and eat more soy products, lean meat, fish and shrimp, milk, eggs, etc. Eat more fruits and vegetables.
But Diners Find It Hard to Give Up
Yesterday, an employee at a "fast food" restaurant told reporters that everyone in the store knows about the harm of fried foods, and it is believed that most customers also know this common sense, but customers still come in an endless stream. "I can see the same child in our store four or five times a week," the staff member affirmed.
The reporter then asked several customers in the store and found that people are aware of the harm of fried foods, but it is still difficult to resist the temptation of delicious food and the convenience of fast food. "This is probably like smoking. Everyone knows that smoking is harmful to health, but how many smokers actually quit?" a gentleman who was about to dine said to the reporter.