Can grilled meat increase diabetes risk?

Can grilled meat increase diabetes risk?

Can grilled meat increase diabetes risk? (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images)

Can grilled meat increase diabetes risk? Yes, say experts, due to a compound that this cooking style creates

The next time you call your pals over and want to get the barbecue going, think again! A new research warns that grilled lamb and meat can increase the chance of developing diabetes.

What the study says...

Experts have found that certain cooking methods that were thought to be healthy for a long time can actually be unhealthy. Barbecuing, regarded as a healthier alternative to fried food, fits into that. What researchers at Mount Sinai University, New York, discovered was that a certain compound found when food is cooked in dry heat could activate significant weight gain, insulin resistance as well as type 2 diabetes. While grilling and roasting food, the process creates a compound called methylglyoxal (MG) — a type of advanced glycation end product (AGE), they discovered. These AGEs have been found to lower the body's protective mechanisms that control inflammation (which is known to set off chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, cancer, arthritis and Alzheimer's).

Adds dietician Priya Karkera, "Grilling meats leads to production of carcinogens which can cause cancer. It also requires a high amount of fat to be basted on the food before it goes into the grill, hence increasing the fat content of the food leading to obesity and diabetes; grilling vegetables however, is safer as it does not form carcinogens."

Professor Helen Vlassara and her team suggested different methods of cooking such as stewing, poaching or steaming instead of grilling.

Here's a solution: Try poaching instead! Below are recipes using the poaching process...

Poached chicken with chilli and coriander dressing

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Chicken stock — 400 ml

Spring onions — 4, sliced

Skinless chicken breast fillets — 3

Ginger — cut into thin slices

Asparagus — 100 g, sliced

French beans — 150 g

Small potatoes — 500 g, cut in chunks

Fresh coriander — large sprig, 1

For dressing:

Lime juice — 2 ½ tbsp

Sugar — a pinch

Fish sauce — ½ tsp

Red chilli — 1, deseeded and chopped

Fresh ginger — 2 tbsp

Method

Put the chicken stock in a pan. Add ginger, spring onions and coriander to this. Arrange the chicken fillets at the bottom of the pan and put the potatoes over them in a neat layer. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the asparagus and beans and simmer until vegetables are tender and the chicken is well cooked. Make the dressing separately. Remove the chicken and vegetables onto a serving pate. Drizzle with the sauce. Serve it immediately.

Cinnamon poached pears

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Pears — 4

Lemon juice — 2 tbsp

Sugar — ½ cup

Water — 6 cups

Cinnamon stick — 1

Chocolate sauce — 1 tbsp

Method

Peel the pears and keep aside. Combine lemon juice, sugar and cinnamon and mix. Heat this,stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add the pears to syrup. Simmer for 10 minutes. Cool and serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Drizzle with chocolate sauce.