Oncologists Say This Popular Air Fryer Mistake Could Increase Cancer Risk

Our dietary choices don’t just benefit our hearts or lower our risks of Type 2 diabetes. They can also help protect us against cancer. For instance, a Mediterranean diet (lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains and lean/plant-based protein) is linked to a lower chance of developing most cancers and may even help survivors stay in remission.

You may take all of the above in a heartbeat. Yet, oncologists stress that what you eat is only a portion of the way you can use diet to decrease your cancer odds. How the food is prepared also matters.

“Many of the most powerful anti-cancer compounds in plants—certain vitamins and phytochemicals—are delicate,” says Dr. Andrew Pecora, MD, the co-division chief of the Skin and Sarcoma Service at Hackensack Meridian John Theurer Cancer Center. “They can be destroyed by heat or can leach out into cooking water.”

Dr. Pecora shares that vitamin C and many B vitamins are water-soluble and sensitive to heat.

“If you boil broccoli, a significant portion of these vitamins will end up in the water, which most people then pour down the drain,” he tells Parade. “Similarly, a powerful compound in broccoli called sulforaphane is only formed when an enzyme is activated by chopping or chewing. High heat can destroy this enzyme, preventing the beneficial compound from ever being created.”

Some cooking methods, like air frying, are considered “healthier”—and they can be.

“In many ways, air frying is indeed a healthy alternative to other forms of preparation, such as deep frying in oil, but it too has caveats,” states Dr. Adeel Khan, MD, MPH, MS,a hematologist/oncologist and epidemiologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

One of those caveats is that it doesn’t make a favorite cooking method “safe.” Here’s why oncologists say this popular air fryer mistake could increase your cancer risk.

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This Popular Air Fryer Mistake Could Increase Cancer Risk, Oncologists Warn

Oncologists know this one may burn, but over-crisping food in an air fryer can raise cancer risk.

“Over-crisping, or cooking foods until they are very dark or burnt, can lead to the formation of compounds such as acrylamide and heterocyclic amines  (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocompounds (PCAHs),” states Dr. Brian Helfand, MD, Ph.D., a urologic oncologist and the division chief of urology at Endeavor Health. “These compounds have been linked in laboratory studies to DNA damage and increased cancer risk with long-term, high exposure.”

Other oncologists agree. To be clear, scientists and oncologists don’t know everything about the risks of over-crisped (or charred) foods. However, they are learning more and don’t recommend people go out of their way to intentionally over-crisp food in an air fryer (and then eat it).

“At the cellular level, the mechanisms by which HCAs, PAHs, acrylamide, Advanced Glycation End-products (AGEs) and other formed compounds cause injury are still being actively researched,” Dr. Khan says. “What is known is that they can biochemically interfere with enzymatic pathways, lead to the formation of injurious metabolites, increase inflammatory cascades and cause DNA damage leading to mutations.”

And, therefore, potentially increase cancer risks. Dr. Khan again stresses that even the research we do have on these compounds and cancer risk isn’t always straightforward. For instance, he (and the American Cancer Society) point to mixed data on acrylamide’s link to cancer.

“Other compounds like PAHs and HCAs have a much more established link as carcinogens, specifically toward colorectal, breast, prostate and pancreatic cancers,” he shares.

These compounds are more common in overdone (including over-crisped) animal-based proteins, like chicken, red meat or fish.

Related: The Popular Habit Oncologists Say Raises Cancer Risk More Than People Realize

Why Oncologists Don’t Want You To Panic if You’ve Over-Crisped Food in an Air Fryer

You may feel queasy after learning that over-crisping food in the air fryer can increase your cancer risk. But that’s not oncologists’ goal in sharing this information.

“There is no need for alarm if you have been doing all the right things and unknowingly have been over-crisping your vegetables,” Dr. Helfand says. “Cancer risk is influenced by long-term patterns, not occasional exposures. Balance is key.”

Also, you may have netted some anti-cancer nutrients.

“Vegetables remain strongly protective due to fiber, antioxidants and phytochemicals,” Dr. Helfand states. “The key is to avoid frequent charring and aim for gentler cooking methods going forward.”

Dr. Khan shares similar sentiments and points out that there’s no known “dose” of over-crisped food that is safe or unsafe if you’re focusing on lowering cancer risk. Generally, he says it’s OK and “to some degree it is unavoidable” to eat over-crisped food from time to time. He suggests reducing your intake of these foods as much as you can, though.

Related: ‘I’m a 50-Year-Old Oncologist—This Is the One Cancer Screening I’m Begging People Over 50 To Get’

How To Know if Something Is Over-Crisped

Use your common sense(s)! Dr. Pecora says over-crisped food will look, smell and taste a certain way. “Visually, there is a clear progression from properly cooked to dangerously charred,” he says.

The goal is golden to deep brown. “This color is typically the result of the Maillard reaction, a chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars that gives browned food its desirable flavor and aroma,” he explains. “Think of a perfectly baked bread crust or a golden-brown roasted potato.”

Meanwhile, widespread, black, charred or ashy food is in what Dr. Pecora describes as the “danger zone” (and over-crisped).

“When food is truly over-crisped or burnt, it will have significant black areas,” he adds.

You can also use the smell or taste test. “That acrid smell is your olfactory system warning you of combustion,” Dr. Pecora says. “It’s the smell of carbon and the release of volatile compounds that you want to avoid ingesting.”

Over-crisped foods have a bitter taste, which is caused by chemical compounds that may increase cancer risk. Dr. Pecora says the taste is a natural defense mechanism.

“Many toxic and poisonous compounds in nature are bitter, and our taste buds have evolved to send a strong ‘do not eat’ signal when they detect it,” he says.

Dr. Khan shares that it’s best to avoid something that is completely burned. But you may not have to go that far. “You can simply trim off the heavily charred portions,” Dr. Helfand states

Related: The Popular Cooking Method Oncologists Are Begging People To Limit

What To Do Instead

Over-crisping may be off the table (or only invited once in a blue moon). However, Dr. Pecora says other cooking methods won’t raise your cancer risk, including:

• Braising, a moist-heat cooking method that involves searing in a hot pot, adding liquid (like broth or water) and reducing the heat for a long, slow cook.
• Stewing, which is a similar process to braising, but the food is normally cut into smaller pieces and fully submerged in your liquid of choice.
• Steaming, a “pure, gentle” cooking method that gets heat from water vapor
• Sous-Vide (with a “touch-sear”), a method that involves putting food in a sealed bag and cooking it in a highly regulated water bath, where it can stay for a long time without over-crisping.

Remember, oncologists emphasize that it’s not about spiraling if over-crisping has been your go-to air fryer method. It’s about flexing your creative methods so you can change course and lower your cancer odds moving forward.

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Related: ‘I’m an Oncologist—This Is the One Cancer Myth I Wish Would Go Away’

Sources:

• Dr. Adeel Khan, MD, MPH, MS, a hematologist/oncologist and epidemiologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
• Dr. Andrew Pecora, MD, the co-division chief of the Skin and Sarcoma Service at Hackensack Meridian John Theurer Cancer Center. He is also a professor of medicine and oncology at Georgetown University.
• Dr. Brian Helfand, MD, Ph.D., a urologic oncologist and the division chief of urology at Endeavor Health
• Acrylamide and Cancer Risk. American Cancer Society.
• Dietary Intake of Meat Cooking-Related Mutagens (HCAs) and Risk of Colorectal Adenoma and Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients.