Sautéing food can be harmful to your health

We have all heard that gas stoves can be harmful to our health. Now, using a skillet to sauté or fry food may not be safe either.

A new study from researchers at the University of British Columbia has found that frying or sautéing food releases chemicals into the air that can be harmful to your health. A feast prepared by UBC scientists found that cooking releases an oxidant into the air that can stress our lungs and contribute to the development of cancer, diabetes and heart disease, according to a university news release.

The study, published in the journal Environmental Science: Atmospheres, examined how brown carbon aerosols released during cooking can affect indoor air quality and health. These microscopic particles are created when organic matter, such as fats and oils, is incompletely burned. This results in the ability to absorb light, giving them a brownish tint. That is why they are called brown carbon aerosols.

According to Study Finds, brown carbon aerosols, or BrCOA, produce singlet oxygen, a form of oxygen that damages cells and tissues in the body. The researchers captured the BrCOA particles released when frying various foods, put them in water and then exposed them to different types of light: UV, sun and fluorescent light.

They discovered singlet oxygen in the same concentration in the three dishes they prepared: pancakes, Brussels sprouts and stir-fried vegetables. But the highest concentration occurred in the experiments with sunlight, suggesting that naturally lit kitchens would see more of this oxidant.

Singlet oxygen particles hanging around in the air of our kitchens deteriorate indoor air quality. Research has shown that cooking aerosols can also impact our health by contributing to inflammation and oxidative stress.

The researchers suggested that adding adequate ventilation to kitchens and air filtration could reduce exposure while cooking.

“Our next steps include determining how this oxidant might affect people and how much we inhale as we cook,” said senior author Nadine Borduas-Dedekind, an assistant professor of chemistry at the University of British Columbia. “Could it play a role in some cooking-related diseases?”