Does heterocyclic amines cause cancer?
A chemical that is formed when meat, poultry, or fish is cooked at high temperatures, such as frying, broiling, and barbecuing. Heterocyclic amines are carcinogens (substances that may cause cancer).
Why are heterocyclic amines bad?
5.3 Heterocyclic Amines/Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons HCAs and PAHs are formed when beef, pork, meat, fish, or poultry is cooked at higher temperature. Research conducted in laboratory experiments suggest that HCAs and PAHs are mutagenic because they cause damage to DNA that may increase the risk of cancer [123].
Are heterocyclic amines good for you?
HCAs are mutagenic and carcinogenic compounds formed in meat and fish prepared by high-temperature cooking methods, such as frying, grilling and barbecuing.
What do carcinogenic heterocyclic amines do to the human body?
In laboratory experiments, HCAs and PAHs have been found to be mutagenic—that is, they cause changes in DNA that may increase the risk of cancer. HCAs are formed when amino acids (the building blocks of proteins), sugars, and creatine or creatinine (substances found in muscle) react at high temperatures.
How are heterocyclic amines related to cancer?
Researchers have identified 17 different HCAs resulting from the cooking of muscle meats that may pose human cancer risk. Research conducted by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as well as by Japanese and European scientists indicates that heterocyclic amines are created within muscle meats during most types of high temperature cooking.
What causes heterocyclic amines in cooked meat?
Heterocyclic Amines in Cooked Meats. HCAs form when amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) and creatine (a chemical found in muscles) react at high cooking temperatures. Researchers have identified 17 different HCAs resulting from the cooking of muscle meats that may pose human cancer risk.
What are the chemicals in meat that cause cancer?
Cooking meat at high temperatures produces cancer-causing chemicals called heterocyclic amines. Cooking meat at high temperatures produces cancer-causing chemicals called heterocyclic amines (HCAs), particularly if it produces char marks, explains Dr. Stephen Freedland, director of the Center for Integrated Research in Cancer and Lifestyle(CIRCL).
What kind of cancer can you get from eating PAHs?
Rodents fed PAHs also developed cancers, including leukemia and tumors of the gastrointestinal tract and lungs ( 17 ). However, the doses of HCAs and PAHs used in these studies were very high—equivalent to thousands of times the doses that a person would consume in a normal diet.
