Beer with barbeque offers health benefits: Study

Cold beer with steak from the barbecue is said to be a divine combination. Now research has found that the pairing also has health benefits as marinating meat in beer before grilling it reduces the chances of getting cancer from eating barbecued food, The Telegraph newspaper reports.

It is known that the process of cooking meat over hot coal increases the production of potentially harmful chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), linked to colorectal cancer, the report said.

However, research published by the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry had shown that, soaking meat in a marinade of beer – particularly stout or black beer reduced PAHs formed during the grilling process.

Cancer is also associated with high levels of chemicals present in cigarette smoke and car exhaust, in laboratory animals, and doctors had earlier pointed to links between colorectal cancer among adults who ate a lot of grilled meat.

Though wine or tea marinades could reduce the levels of some potential carcinogens in cooked meat, little was known previously about how different beer marinades affected PAH levels.