# burnt food? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 2, 2001, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burnt-food/48136 "2001-01-02T20:44:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Miguelon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/91b2a8/32.png) [@Miguelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miguelon)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2001, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burnt-food/48136/1 "2001-01-02T20:44:04Z")
I recently broiled some salmon for myself and my girlfriend. I unintentionally blackened the top of the salmon to a nice crispy char. I told her to feel free to scrape of the burnt part and she told me she didn’t mind it and that in fact burnt food (toast, fish…) actually cleanses the blood. I was surprised and told her that I was under the impression that burnt food contains carcinogens and is not healthy. Is either one of us right? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2001, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burnt-food/48136/2 "2001-01-02T23:14:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Miguelon \* > \*\*I recently broiled some salmon for myself and my girlfriend. I unintentionally blackened the top of the salmon to a nice crispy char. I told her to feel free to scrape of the burnt part and she told me she didn’t mind it and that in fact burnt food (toast, fish…) actually cleanses the blood. I was surprised and told her that I was under the impression that burnt food contains carcinogens and is not healthy. Is either one of us right? \*\* Activated charcoal is useful for binding various acutely digested poisons within the GI tract, but I am not aware of any research showing it to be of any use to “cleanse the blood”. On the other hand, burning of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates has been shown to produce known carcinogens, plus a whole host of other atypical chemicals, of whose function we don’t have any clear idea. Perhaps some of them could be helpful for you, but it’s more likely they’ll be neutral to detrimental. That’s not to say a little barbequeuing is gonna do you in. So go ahead and scrape the gunk off, just don’t make a point of eating the burnt gunk. Anyway, that’s my advise, and I’ve given it to actual, real-live patients in the past, too! Qadgop, MD ---
**Author:** ![Arjuna34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Arjuna34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arjuna34)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2001, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burnt-food/48136/3 "2001-01-02T23:58:21Z")
This [CNN article](Qadgop the Mercotan) corroborates **Qadgop the Mercotan** ’s post. A quote from it: > [@](#): > > With all meat, avoid eating the charred surfaces. Not that CNN is an authority on health issues, but the idea that burnt meat contains oxidants and carcinogens has filtered from research into the mainstream media (but apparently not down to your girlfriend :)). I have a hyper-intelligent friend who computed the minutes of his life saved by cutting the burned fat off a steak, and found that it was comparable to the time spent cutting (naturally some “guestimating” was involved). He decided that it wasn’t worth it! Arjuna34 ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2001, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burnt-food/48136/4 "2001-01-03T01:42:52Z")
Burnt meat has some bad stuff in it. One dose isn’t likely to cause cancer. Think of someone that likes you being polite, and saying something to not make you feel bad.