Dear Healthier Friend,

A cousin of mine once told me that braaied, charred chicken increases your chances of getting cancer. I had heard about this and done some research on this subject before. But now I've discovered a very scary truth, this isn't just about chicken.

Research now shows that any type of charred, overcooked or blackened meat increases the odds of getting cancer. See what Dr Douglas has to say below.

In the name of good health,

Taryn Strugnell
Managing Editor of Nutrition & Healing

P.S. How safe are the cosmetics you're using? Have you even ever thought about it? Dr Wright recommends this website to see if the products you're using are actually doing more harm than good...

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Before you throw another steak on the braai: Read this!
Dr WC Douglas
Editor of Healthier News

It has been said for years that foods need to be eaten as close to raw as possible if you want to get the maximum amount of nutrients. The "closer to raw" rule doesn't just apply to vegetables - but to meat and eggs as well.

The key difference between overcooked veggies and overcooked meat is that over-doing veggies makes them flavourless and nutritionally bereft, while overcooking meat makes it flavourless... and dangerous. The possible carcinogenic effects of overcooking meat and eggs are fairly well documented.

Cooking eggs and meat at high temperatures produces a chemical compound called PhIP, which many believe could cause DNA changes, or can metabolise harmless bodily enzymes into carcinogens - especially those that cause breast cancer.

Now, a new report by researchers at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and Masonic Cancer Centre claims that regular consumption of well-done, charred meats could boost the risk of pancreatic cancer by a frightening 60%.

This new research indicated that overcooking also created heterocyclic amines (HAs), which contribute to increased risk of pancreatic cancer, an especially lethal cancer. HAs are generated by the high-temperature immolation of amino acids.

The researchers suggested maintaining low heat while grilling, frying or braaing in order to cut down on "excess burning or charring of the meat". Doing so could help cut down the cancer risk, since the burned portions have the highest HA concentrations.

This is something you should keep in mind before you fire up the backyard braai. But by all means, don't let it stop you from eating meat. You just need to think twice about how long you cook it for.

Find out about more cancer fighting tips

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If you're using any skin care products: Check this out!

Q: I keep hearing horror stories about all of the potentially harmful ingredients in my cosmetics and skin care products. But how do I know what to watch out for?

Dr. Wright: Bookmark the Environmental Working Group's comprehensive website that can take the guesswork out of finding the healthiest personal care products. All you have to do is enter the name of nearly any personal care product to get an instantaneous, detailed report. For each product, you're told whether it contains any cancer hazard, potential reproductive toxicity, potential for harmful impurities, endocrine disruptors or space alien (my term) oestrogens, irritants to the eyes, skin or lungs, immune system toxicants, penetration enhancers, wildlife or environmental toxicity and several other categories. Each product is also assigned a "concern score" on a scale of 0.0 (no hazard) to 5.0 (most hazardous) and can be displayed with complete information of its own, as well as in a safety ranking with all other products in the same category. After doing a little research, you can add the safest products to a "favourites" list you can print out and use as your shopping guide.

You'll find the website at http://www.ewg.org/reports/skindeep.