Alarming study: Barbecue could be deadly

The World Health Organization just warned us last month about the dangers of consuming processed meats, and now a new paper is arguing that grilled or barbecued meats could increase your risk of kidney cancer.

The paper, which was published in the journal Cancer and funded by the National Institutes of Health, finds that people who have diets that include a lot of meat have a higher risk of kidney cancer, according to a Washington Post report.

The research examined 659 patients at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center who had recently been diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma. They also examined 699 healthy patients as a control.

The researchers found that those who had kidney cancer tended to eat a lot more meat — both red and white — than those who were healthy. Why? It’s possible that by grilling meats on an open flame, it might cause a carcinogenic effect. This applies to people who enjoy both BBQ and fying in a pan.

Your genetics may play a big role too. Those who had variations of the gene ITPR2 that has been associated with kidney cancer tended to be more likely to have these problems.

That doesn’t mean it’s time to ban those family cookouts, but rather just consume meat in moderation, and have a well-balanced diet that also included fruits and vegetables. That will have a whole lot of health benefits beyond just a reduced risk of cancer.