Marinate that Meat!

As reported on BBC News ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7804571.stm ) , it has been found that marinating meat in red wine or beer can decrease the number of cancer-causing compounds. I was unaware that fried, grilled, or barbecued meats had greater numbers of these compounds. Interestingly enough, people who eat their steak medium or well done are three times more likely to obtain stomach cancer than those who cook it rare. Of course, whether this is causation or correlation is completely unknown.

The article also states that marinating chicken in olive oil, lemon juice or garlic decreases the compounds by 90%. If there is substantial evidence that these compounds do cause cancer, then this is quite a big health discovery. But overall, the study provides more compelling evidence that meat should not be eaten in excess, if at all.