Grilling meat could raise your risk of high blood pressure, study says

Grill lovers beware. Before you fire up the grill, a new report says that barbecue may increase your risk of high blood pressure.

Researchers from the American Heart Association presented a report Wednesday that explored whether foods cooked at high temperatures affect blood pressure.

To do so, they examined more than 100,000 people from various long-term health studies. Researchers gathered information about the individuals' cooking methods and the development of high blood pressure among those who regularly ate beef, poultry or fish.

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After analyzing the results, researchers found that none of the participants had high blood pressure, diabetes or cancer at the start of the program. About 37,000 of them had developed high blood pressure during the followup 12 to 16 years later.

When the scientists took a closer look, they discovered that those who reported eating two servings of red meat, chicken or fish a week were at higher risk for hypertension.

The risk was 17 percent higher for people who grilled, broiled or roasted beef, chicken or fish more than 15 times a month, compared to those who did it less than four times a month.

Furthermore, the risk was 15 percent higher for those who liked their meats well-done as opposed to rarer. High blood pressure risk was also higher for those estimated to have consumed the highest levels of heterocyclic aromatic amines, a chemical found on meats that are charred or exposed to high temperatures.

"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," Gang Liu said in a Wednesday news release.

“Our findings suggest that it may help reduce the risk of high blood pressure if you don’t eat these foods cooked well done and avoid the use of open-flame and/or high-temperature cooking methods, including grilling/barbequing and broiling.”

Find out more about the report at the American Heart Association website.

Cox Media Group