Grilling meat has been linked to an increase in cancer risk by studies in the past. Now a rodent based, preliminary study is suggesting that cooking meat over dry, intense heat like grilling may increase the risk of weight gain, insulin resistance and diabetes by increasing the production of a specific compound in the meat. That study, led by researchers at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine found that mice who were fed that compound, methylglyoxal gained weight which tended to gather around their abdomen a well as developing early insulin resistance when compared to mice fed the exact same diet without the compound. The findings from that study have been published in the journal, Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences.

Methylglyoxal, an advanced glycation endproduct found in grilled and some pan seared meats is thought to affect the body's ability to handle inflammation. SIRT1, which is directly affected by methylglyoxal is used to aid the body's ability to metabolize glucose. Researchers in connection with that study will now move on to testing their theories with human subjects to see if the findings hold true for them as well.

Another study, this one by the University of Southern California and the Cancer Prevention Institute of California has concluded that pan fried meat increases the risk of prostate cancer with that risk increasing by the amount of meat that is consumed each week. For a man who eats roughly one to one and a half servings of red meat cooked in a pan each week, the risk increases by thirty percent. The study did not come to a clear conclusion of whether it was red meat or the cooking method that caused the increased risk. Further research will look at those possibilities, potentially pitting various types of cookware against each other as well as looking at various cuts of meat.

In both studies, the researchers suggested other cooking methods as well as reducing the amount of red meat in the diet, overall. Other cooking methods included those that use lower heat levels or cooked in moisture such as braising. Baking and sauteing were also suggested as acceptable because the dangerous compound was not formed with them. Red meat, often listed as the main risk factor for a number of conditions, including heart disease and high cholesterol can be replaced with other, more healthful protein sources including poultry which is not only leaner but typically lower in calories as well.