Marinating Meat in Alcohol Can Reduce Chance of Cancer

Marinating your meat in beer or red wine is always a tasty way to infuse some extra flavor into your dish—but as it turns out, the alcohol may add some extra health benefits to your plate, too.

Portugese researchers recently discovered that steak that had been marinated in beer or wine had lower levels of heterocyclic amines (HAs), which are carcinogenic compounds found in meat that has been fried or grilled. Their findings showed that, after being cooked, the marinated meat had 90% lower levels of two types of HA.

The key in reducing these compounds could be the sugars found in alcohol, the researchers claim. The sugars may prevent water-soluble molecules in the steak from rising to the surface and becoming HAs after they are browned.

Eating too much grilled meat can have a serious impact on your health: research shows that people who eat their meat well-done are three times more likely to develop stomach cancer than those who eat it rare.

So, if you like your steak grilled to a crisp, throw some beer on it first—it just might save your life one day.

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