Could Hot Dogs Be Better For You Than... Roasted Chicken?
By Lexi Petronis,Glamour magazine
A lot of words may come to mind when you think "hot dogs," but "healthy" isn't usually one of them... until you read the results of this new study, anyway.
A study in a scientific journal called Meat Science has revealed that rotisserie chicken contains higher levels of carcinogens called "heterocyclic amines" (HCAS), which are created when meat is grilled, fried, or cooked at high temperatures. People with diets that are high in HCAs from meats have been found to have higher incidences of breast, stomach, and colon cancers.
Researchers prepared different kinds of meat for study participants: microwaved bacon and hot dogs, pepperoni from pizza, and deli meats and rotisserie chicken straight out of the package. Pepperoni had the lowest levels of HCAs, while rotisserie chicken--particularly the skin--topped out at the highest.
Does that mean tossing the rotisserie meats in favor of hot dogs? No. Reports TIME: "people who regularly ate processed meats, like cold cuts, sausage and bacon, were found to have a 42% higher risk of heart disease and a 19% higher risk of Type 2 diabetes than people who didn't eat these products. ... Further, hot dogs and deli meats are full of nitrates, which were associated with an elevated risk of bladder cancer in a recent study."
Do you like hot dogs? Rotisserie chicken? Are there any types or cuts of meat that you eat in order to feel healthy?
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Photo Credit: Condé Nast Digital Studio
