IS IT TRUE? ..... this gives you CANCER?

Question

i was at a bonfire on a beach w/ some friends & 1 of them told me that if you burn a marshmallow & then eat it you're at higher risk of geting cancer. IS THAT TRUE?

Answer 1

Certain foods can cause cancer. We know burned/charred foods are carcinogenic, so it would contribute. Just eating one charred marshmallow would not have much of an effect, but the damage caused by diet and environment is cumulative. T. Colin Campbell says disease rates are dramatically reduced based on diet and environment, e.g., lifestyle choices in his book/site The China Study.

Also, my wife has the very medical texts the doctors use. It's the Guyton & Hall "Textbook of Medical Physiology" eleventh edition. Their text is used in most mainstream medical curriculums and is the bible when it comes to physiology. They say on page 41, starting with the second paragraph - "Only a minute fraction of the cells that mutate in the body ever lead to cancer. There are several reasons for this. First, most mutated cells have less survival capability and simply die. Second, only a few of the mutated cells that do survive become cancerous, because even most mutated cells still have normal feedback controls that prevent excessive growth.

Third, those cells that are potentially cancerous are often, if not usually, destroyed by the body's immune system before they grow into cancer. This occurs in the following way: Most mutated cells form abnormal proteins within their cell bodies because of their altered genes, and these proteins activate the body's immune system, causing it to form antibodies or sensitized lymphocytes that react against the cancerous cells, destroying them. In support of this is the fact that in people whose immune systems have been suppressed, such as those taking immunosuppressant drugs after kidney or heart transplantation, the probability of a cancer's developing is multiplied as much as fivefold."

http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0091-67... states that "Chemotherapeutic agents are widely used in clinical medicine for the treatment of conditions where diminution of the host immune response is a goal." This page also says "The use of immunosuppressive drugs in clinical medicine is necessary to diminish the immune response to a point where responses to undesirable foreign antigens are elminated." This, to me, looks like CONCLUSIVE evidence that chemo ultimately causes cancer because we know chemo drugs destroy the immune system, and Guyton & Hall state that with a suppressed immune system, the probability of developing cancer is 5 times higher.

Guyton and Hall also say later on that same page - "probabability of mutations can be increased manyfold when a person is exposed to certain chemical, physical, or biological factors, including the following:
1. It is well known that ionizing radiation, such as x-rays, gamma rays, and particle radiation from radiocative substances, and even ultraviolet light can predispose individuals to cancer. Ions formed in tussue cells under the influence of such radiation are highly reactive and can rupture DNA strands, thus causing many mutations.
2. Chemical substances of certain types also have a high propensity for causing mutations. It was discovered long ago that various aniline dye deritatives are likely to cause cancer, so that workers in chemical plants producing such substances, if unprotected, have a special predisposition to cancer. Chemical substances that can cause mutation are called carcinogens. That carcinogens that currently cause the greatest number of deaths are those in cigarette smoke. They cause about one quarter of all cancer deaths.
3. Physical irritants also can lead to cancer, such as continued abrasion of the linings of the intestinal tract by some types of food. The damage to the tissues leads to rapid mitotic replacement of the cells. The more rapid the mitosis, the greater the chance for mutation.
4. In many families, there is a strong hereditary tendency to cancer. This results from the fact that most cancers require not one mutation but two or more mutations before cancer occurs. In those families that are particularly predisposed to cancer, it is presumed that one or more cancerous genes are already mutated in the inherited genome. Therefore, far fewer additional mutations must take place in such family members before a cancer begins to grow.
5. In laboratory animals, certain types of viruses can cause some kinds of cancer, including leukemia. This usually results in one of two ways. In the case of DNA viruses, the DNA strand of the virus can insert itself directly into one of the chromosomes and thereby cause a mutation that leads to cancer. In the case of RNA viruses, some of these carry with them an enzyme called reverse transcriptase that causes DNA to be transcribed from the RNA. The transcribed DNA then inserts itself into the animal cell genome, leading to cancer."

There's five known causes. Prevention by elimination of these risks can be accomplished. If you are exposed to or choose those risks, your risk for getting cancer goes up.

Answer 2

I'm sure your friend meant well, but has gotten a little confused as to what is fact & what is fiction. It has been shown that burnt meat contains higher levels of certain compounds called HCAs which are known to be carcinogenic (scientific term for 'cancer causing'). This happens when meat is cooked at high temperatures. Studies which have fed meat containing HCAs to lab rats have shown a strong link between HCAs and breast cancer. Whilst the exact mechanism is unknown, it is likely that the HCAs appear to damage rat DNA. Obviously humans are quite different to rats though & so far this link has not been proven in humans.

So, whilst the link-between meat & cancer is still controversial, it is probably best to avoid consuming burnt food on a regular basis.

Answer 3

There is no scientific documented evidence that anyone has ever gotten cancer from eating a burnt marshmellow. Perhaps if you ate a burnt marshmellows every single day for years on end . . you might . . but no one knows. Sitting around a campfire, enjoying the company of family and friends, and eating a few burnt marshmellows seems far more important than worrying about the slim risk associated with carcingens. Go ahead and enjoy life and don't worry about the small stuff.

Answer 4

Burnt Marshmallow

Answer 5

Hey. dont waste your time worrying about what gives you cancer.. everything gives you cancer now-a-days!

There is an increased risk of cancer and eating smoked foods.. maybe thats what your friend was thinking about.

Answer 6

It is possible that the black charcoal on the burnt marshmallow contains carcinogens -- cancer causing agents. However, you would have to consistently eat a lot of burnt marshmallows to be at risk. The occasional burnt marshmallow at a bonfire isn't going to hurt you.

Answer 7

No - think about this all you're really eating is charcoal - they give you one form or another of charcoal to treat various illnesses/injuries so I really doubt that they would give it to you if it was going to cause cancer would they?

Answer 8

I heard that old wive's tale also but I doubt there's any truth to it. Any processed food in general is bad for you!

Answer 9

No...that is just one of those things people say. Don't believe everything your friends tell you.

Answer 10

I'm not sure, but if supposedly if you eat something protein-wise that's burnt, its not good for you.