A new study seems to confirm that consuming grilled meat can increase a person’s risk of developing high blood pressure.
The Dangers of Grilled Meat
We’ve already seen some hotly-debated evidence that grilled meat cooked at high temperatures has the potential to form cancer-causing chemicals, but this revelation that it may also cause high blood pressure is a new and concerning piece of information regarding some of our favorite foods.
Meat cooked at a high temperature, such as grilled meat or meat cooked with barbecuing, broiling and roasting, may modestly increase a person’s risk of developing high blood pressure. The findings were presented on Wednesday at an American Heart Association meeting.
The research also found that avoiding cooked meat that is well done or charred may help reduce the risk of high blood pressure as well.
High Blood Pressure
High Blood Pressure is a serious issue that can be difficult to recognize without regular trips to the doctor. With very few symptoms before devastating health issues like a heart attack or stroke, it can be difficult to recognize when your well-being is at risk. Regular trips to the doctor can help you recognize and address problems before they become too serious – and cutting out, or at least reducing, grilled meat may go a long way towards reducing your risk of high blood pressure.
The Study
During the study, the researchers followed 32925 women from the Nurses’ Health Study, 53852 women from the Nurses’ Health Study II, and 17104 men from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. At the beginning of the data, no one in the group had high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or cancer.
Over the next 12 to 16 years, 37123 of the participants were dealing with high blood pressure. Those who reported at least two servings of red meat, chicken, or fish a week and grilled, broiled, or roasted the meat more than 15 times a month had a 17 percent higher occurrence of high blood pressure compared to those that only used the high-temperature cooking techniques less than four times a month.
What Does It All Mean?
Essentially, this is pretty damning evidence that gives us another reason to avoid grilled meat. While it’s quite delicious and a staple for many people, more information is coming out year after year that suggests it might not be very good for our health. With the charred exterior comes chemicals that may cause cancer and may now cause high blood pressure, and that trade-off might not be worth it for a delicious plate of barbecue.
It’s still not 100% clear why this is happening, but some studies have suggested that grilled meat cooked at high temperatures could cause chemicals to form, including oxidative stress and inflammation and insulin resistance in animals – both potentially leading to an elevated risk of developing high blood pressure.
Long story short, if you eat grilled meat just a few times a month, you shouldn’t have too much to worry about. As soon as you start making it a part of the majority of your meals, however, you’re opening yourself up to increased risk of developing high blood pressure.
