Rosemary Helps Reduce Toxins in Grilled Meat

I always get nervous about grilling meat because of all the cancer concerns.  Cooking meat at high temperatures produce something called heterocyclic amines and supposedly, these things are linked to cancer.  Even though I have a family history of stomach cancer, I try not to remember this because who can resist charred meat?  Come on — it's primeval.  Just the smell of the grill significantly raises my happiness index.  So I was really interested in reading a recent NYT article about rosemary and how chemicals in rosemary counteract the nasty heterocyclic amines.  Unfortunately, I find rosemary overwhelming and don't use it very much.  Luckily, other marvelous ingredients like lemons, onions and garlic do the same thing!

I wonder if people instinctively knew this because all these ingredients are classic parts of marinades.  In Greece, it's olive oil, garlic, and rosemary.  In Asia, onions, garlic, and sometimes lemons or limes.  Seems like too much of a coincidence...