Most people know that fried chicken is not a healthy food, but how many realize that consuming grilled chicken can increase the risk of cancer? Tests of grilled chicken from fast-food outlets—including Burger King and McDonald's—have revealed substantial amounts of a carcinogenic chemical in all samples tested.

Grilled chicken items from fast-food outlets were found to contain PhIP, one of a group of carcinogens called heterocyclic amines (HCAs), according to independent laboratory tests commissioned by the Cancer Project and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which are seeking warnings at fast-food chains.

PhIP and other HCAs are formed from the creatinine, amino acids, and sugar found in muscle tissue, and are produced by long cooking times and hot temperatures. As mutagens, HCAs can bind directly to DNA and cause mutations—the first step in cancer development.

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