PCRM Files Lawsuit Over Carcinogens in Grilled Chicken |
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Everyone knows that fried chicken is not a health food, but most
consumers are unaware that grilled chicken also poses a disturbing
health risk: carcinogens. PCRM has filed suit under California’s
Proposition 65 to compel seven national restaurant chains in the
state to warn consumers about the dangerous cancer-causing compound
found in their grilled chicken.
 PCRM commissioned an independent laboratory to test grilled chicken
products from California outlets of all seven chains: McDonald’s,
Burger King, Chick-fil-A, Chili’s, Applebee’s, Outback
Steakhouse, and TGI Friday’s. Every sample of grilled chicken
from each restaurant was found to contain PhiP, one of a group
of carcinogens called heterocyclic amines, or HCAs.
California’s Proposition 65 states that consumers must be
warned about products that contain known carcinogens. In 2005,
the federal government officially added HCAs to its list of carcinogens,
and for more than a decade, PhIP has been on the California governor’s list of chemicals
known to cause cancer.
HCAs are formed from the creatinine, amino acids, and sugar found
in muscle tissue, and are produced by long cooking times and hot
temperatures. This makes grilling, pan frying, and oven broiling
particularly dangerous cooking methods. As mutagens, HCAs can bind
directly to DNA and cause mutations—the first step in cancer
development.
“Grilled chicken may increase the risk of cancer, and consumers
deserve to know that this supposedly healthy product is actually
just as bad for them as high-fat fried chicken,” says PCRM
president Neal Barnard, M.D. “Even
a grilled chicken salad increases the risk of breast cancer, prostate
cancer, and other forms of this lethal disease.”
To avoid
HCAs, try grilling up homemade veggie burgers, portabella mushrooms,
or vegetable and tofu kebabs. Choosing plant-based foods can lower
cancer risk in other ways as well. Not only are plant foods low
in fat and high in protective fiber, but they also contain antioxidants
and phytochemicals, which have been shown to help prevent cancer.
PCRM
Online,
November 2006
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