Grilling and cancer: Most Americans don't know the link

Catch up quick: Grilling meats — including hot dogs, chicken and fish — can create potential carcinogens, including heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

• Plus, hot dogs themselves were declared carcinogens in 2015 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

How it works: When amino acids, sugars and creatine inside meat are exposed to high heat, a chemical reaction creates HCAs.

• PAHs form outside the meat when fat and juices drip out and cause smoke that sticks to the surface.

Between the lines: More heat means more HCAs and PAHs — and that trademark charred black look grillmasters love to see.

Yes, but: Grilling doesn't have this effect on all foods.

• For example, tossing vegetables and fruits on the grill doesn't produce HCAs.

What we're hearing: Even eating small amounts of processed meat could increase cancer risk, American Cancer Society's senior principal scientist of population science, Marissa Shams-White, told Axios.

• When it comes to grilling animal meats at high temperatures, "we don't yet know if there is a safe low level to consume," Atlanta-based Shams-White said.

The bottom line: The safest protein option at the holiday cookout probably won't come from the grill.