Fats dripping onto grill flames creates toxic smoke containing carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.  Meats cooked at a high temperature on the grill create carcinogenic heterocyclic amines (HCAs).

The good news? You don’t have to cut out grilling, just minimize your carcinogen intake by trying the following:

And, since carcinogens are everywhere, not just on the grill, you may want to boost your intake of broccoli and cruciferous veggies, which help your body detoxify of carcinogens.

You can also turn to supplements to help your body eliminate carcinogens, including:

• Milk Thistle – Known for its liver protecting effects, milk thistle’s main component, silymarin, aids your liver in detoxifying everything from heavy metals to carcinogens from charred meats.

• Grape Seed Extract – A study in the October 2006 Clinical Cancer Research Journal showed grade seed extract to be a chemo preventative agent against colon cancer cells. Grape seed extract has shown to induce cell death in human prostate cancer cells.

• Green Tea Extract - A study in the August 2007 Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention suggests that polyphenols from green tea may enhance the detoxification of carcinogens in individuals with low baseline detoxification capacity.

Our Constant Health has a whole lot of detoxifiers, including milk thistle, but also hefty amounts of glutamine, n-acetyl-cysteine, glycine, calcium-d-glucarate (which provides indole-e-carbinol without the cruciferous veggie taste!), etc.

Ward Off Sun Damage at the Beach

With skin cancer on the rise, more folks are seeking to prevent sun damage.  Unfortunately there’s a lot to consider. Sunscreen may keep you from burning, but many brands contain toxic chemicals, harmful enough to rival the dangers of burning.

Many sunscreens also make the absorption of vitamin D difficult or impossible, and the tsunami of positive vitamin D research over the last few years says you don’t want to skimp on the “sunshine vitamin.”

What to do? First, be sure you understand what you’re protecting yourself from. There are two kinds of UV rays, and you need protection from both.

UVA (ultraviolet-A): Less likely than UVB rays to cause sunburn, UVA penetrates the skin more deeply, and is considered the chief culprit behind wrinkling, leathering, and other aspects of visible sun damage. Unfortunately, studies show UVA rays not only increase UVB rays’ cancer-causing effects, but may directly cause some skin cancers, including melanomas.

UVB (ultraviolet-B): More potent than UVA in producing visible sunburn, UVB rays are considered the main cause of basal and squamous cell carcinomas as well as a significant cause of melanoma.

Fast Facts: Sunscreens chemically absorb UV rays, sunblocks physically deflect them.

Sunscreens have long blocked UVB effectively, but until recently provided less UVA protection. New ingredients such as octylcrylene and the benzophenones have improved sunscreen's defenses against shorter UVA rays, and the chemical avobenzone works against all UVA wavelengths. Unfortunately, many of these new sunscreen chemicals can be quite toxic to humans.

Sunblocks have also markedly improved. New preparations such as micronized titanium dioxide are less conspicuous on the skin and offer substantial protection against both UVA and UVB. Alas, titanium dioxide nanoparticles--which are less stable than traditional titanium powders--may trigger formation of free radicals when exposed to sunlight. 

The good news? Many companies are introducing all-natural skin-protectors with the active ingredient zinc oxide delivered in ingredients like jojoba, aloe, shea butter, green tea, milk thistle, grape seed, chamomile, and vitamin E.

Just remember, whatever you use, it's best to apply protection 15 to 30 minutes before you're out in the sun to ensure optimal protection.

As with carcinogens, you want to give your body plenty of help with detoxification if you're using sunscreens or sunblocks with carcinogenic ingredients.

Some of the same botanicals listed above can also support your skin during the summer.

• Milk Thistle – Milk thistle’s silymarin, mentioned above, has been linked to inhibiting skin tumors.

• Green Tea Extract – A new study found green tea can reverse the effects of sun damage to the skin and potentially prevent skin cancer.

Keeping your vitamin D levels high can compensate for any vitamin D you may miss out on as a result of staying out of the sun or wearing sunblock to protect your skin.

Member Jenni Field Highlights
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