Damn you, science!
It looks as though one of the functions of science is to keep people from enjoying themselves. The latest:
A compound formed when meat is charred at high temperatures — as in barbecue — encourages the growth of prostate cancer in rats, researchers reported on Sunday.
Their study, presented at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, may help explain the link between eating meat and a higher risk of prostate cancer.
It also fits in with other studies suggesting that cooking meat until it chars might cause cancer.
April 3rd, 2006 at 1:08 pm
So does this mean we should eat meat rare? Woohoo!
See also: Everything causes cancer. If I didn’t know better I’d think we’re all doomed to die, eventually, or something. Bummer. So, if we don’t die of something else, eventually we’ll all die of cancer. Maybe I should have been an oncologist.
April 3rd, 2006 at 1:20 pm
Nate G hit it right on the head . . . . thats not a problem for me cause I eat meat pretty rare. Actually, I like to lightly sear my steaks to lock the juices in then slow cook ’em to warm the inside up (but not for too long, got to keep ’em rare and bloody).
April 3rd, 2006 at 1:47 pm
Actually, if you live past 80 your chances of getting prostate cancer soar. So even if you don’t eat barbeque often, you’ll still probably have to get your prostate removed when you’re an old codger. Which means the Big Guy won’t work as well anymore, but by the time you’re 80 you probably won’t notice much difference.
The bright spot is we will have better boner pills than Viagra by that time….
April 3rd, 2006 at 2:03 pm
This is not new. Hell, I remember it being mentioned on an episode of Good Eats at least two or three years ago. Basically, you don’t want to eat a ton of it, but if you have it every now and again, you’ll be fine.
As to eating meat pretty rare, it doesn’t help me that much because I like a good sear on the outside, even if the meat is medium-rare to rare on the inside.
April 3rd, 2006 at 2:42 pm
Well, tgirsch and I seem to agree on at least one thing. . .the value of a good sear.
April 3rd, 2006 at 2:43 pm
As for the risk of death, if you get old enough something’s going to kill you eventually
April 3rd, 2006 at 2:49 pm
We probably agree on a lot of things — just very few, if any, of them have anything to do with politics. 😉
April 3rd, 2006 at 2:53 pm
They neglect to mention what the effect of certain distilled beverages may have on the cancer-causing compound. I’ll pretend they said it negates the effect and live my life that way, thank you very much.
April 3rd, 2006 at 4:40 pm
As a professional chef (yes really) I advise you to eat what you want and be content.
Death is the price of admission to the life movie, and you don’t want to sit through a sucky movie now do you?
April 3rd, 2006 at 5:58 pm
If you only eat healthily, you may or may not live longer, but it will seem far too long.
April 3rd, 2006 at 7:55 pm
Yeah, and then they’re going to pass laws to protect people from second hand meat. No chared meat within twenty five feet of a public building. This is where I take a stand. Give me chared meat or give me death!
April 3rd, 2006 at 9:12 pm
As I told the gal at the restaurant last night when she asked how I wanted my steak, “Just put a band-aid on it and send it on out.”
April 4th, 2006 at 12:44 am
i think I probably agree with that too, tgirsch 😉
April 4th, 2006 at 8:38 am
I agree with the conclusion of this study 100%:
Rats should not eat charred beef.
That’s why I don’t invite them to my barbicues…it’s for their own good.
April 4th, 2006 at 1:33 pm
Mark Twain (I believe) once said…they tell me that if I give up smoking and drinking that I will live an extra 10 years, but I ask you, if I can’t drink or smoke, why would I want to live an extra 10 years?
April 4th, 2006 at 3:19 pm
joated:
My standard answer is “you really don’t want to cook it, so much as warm it up a little bit.” Or, “If, for some reason, I fail to eat the steak, I want it to make a full recovery and go on living a healthy life.”