Cooking food at high heat, like grilling or frying, creates chemicals that can damage your DNA and lead to cancer.

Pro

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (4)

Community contributions welcome

Effects of seasoning on the formation of heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in meats: A meta-analysis.

Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis

2021 Jan

Consumption of Thermally Processed Meat Containing Carcinogenic Compounds (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Heterocyclic Aromatic Amines) versus a Risk of Some Cancers in Humans and the Possibility of Reducing Their Formation by Natural Food Additives—A Literature Review

Systematic Review

2022 Apr 14

Extraction and analytical approaches for the determination of post-food processing major carcinogens: A comprehensive review towards healthier processed food.

Narrative Review

2025 Feb 1

Formation and mitigation of PAHs in barbecued meat – a review

Narrative Review

2022

Contradicting (0)

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No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Similar Assertions

When you fry, grill, or smoke food, it creates harmful chemicals that can damage your cells and raise your risk of cancer and other long-term diseases.

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Adding spices to meat before cooking it at high heat might lower the amount of harmful chemicals that can form, which could make the food safer to eat.

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When you cook meat at high heat like grilling or frying, it creates certain chemicals called HAAs and PAHs. The amount of these chemicals depends on how long you cook it, how hot it gets, and what type of meat you're cooking.

70%