Good news, burger lovers.
That scary cancer warning from the World Health Organization about eating red meat and processed foods might have a silver lining — how you cook your meat can lower your cancer risk.
Cooking meat at high temperatures using methods like barbecuing, pan-frying and grilling chars the meat. The high heat causes cancer-causing chemicals to form, a new study by the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas found.
The researchers suggest turning down the heat and choosing to bake or broil instead.
It's unclear whether cooking white meats at high temperatures also produces the same cancer-causing chemicals.
Other studies have found a link between eating red, processed, charred and smoked meats and higher risks of colon and kidney cancers. "Because red meat generally contains more muscle and fat, researchers suspect it's more likely to produce carcinogens than lean or white meats," according to an MD Anderson Cancer Center news release.
The researchers offered these tips to lower your cancer risk:
• Limit red meat to no more than 18 ounces a week, or about the size of three decks of cards.
