New research suggests that eating well-done or grilled beef, chicken or fish is linked to a greater risk of high blood pressure.
Dr. Gang Liu of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston told Reuters Health: “Our findings show that among individuals who consume red meat, chicken, or fish regularly, those who avoid the use of open-flame and/or high-temperature cooking methods, including grilling, may help reduce the risk of hypertension.”
Liu added that although some studies have suggested that higher intake of red meat, especially processed red meat, is associated with higher risk of hypertension, the link between chicken or fish intake with the risk of hypertension remain inconsistent.
He presented the new findings at an American Heart Association meeting in New Orleans last week.
He and his colleagues analyzed cooking methods and the development of hypertension in more than 100,000 adults from both genders, who regularly ate beef, poultry or fish and were participating in three long-term studies.
In each study, detailed cooking information was collected. None of the participants had hypertension, diabetes, heart disease or cancer at the start, but 37,000 people developed hypertension during an average follow-up of 12 to 16 years.
The researchers found that a higher frequency of open-flame and/or high-temperature cooking and a preference for higher meat doneness were both associated with an increased hypertension risk.
Among adults who ate red meat, chicken or fish a week, the risk of developing hypertension was 17 percent higher in those who grilled, broiled, or roasted the meat or fish, and 15 percent higher in those who preferred their food well done.
Liu said: “The chemicals produced by cooking meats at high temperatures induce oxidative stress, inflammation and insulin resistance in animal studies, and these pathways may also lead to an elevated risk of developing high blood pressure.”
However, the study was not designed to prove that eating meat and fish cooked a certain way causes hypertension.
