Hot Dogs Healthier Than Chicken?

I had always heard that hot dogs weren't good for you. They are made up of scraps from "everything"! But, If given the choice between eating a hot dog or rotisserie chicken, you may want to munch on the hot dog.

Apparently the reason is because hot dogs, as well as deli meats are relatively free of carcinogenic compounds, according to Kansas State University research.

J. Scott Smith, professor of food chemistry, and a K-State research team have been looking at such ready-to-eat meat products to determine their levels of heterocyclic amines, or HCAs. These are carcinogenic compounds found in meat that is fried, grilled or cooked at high temperatures. Studies have shown that humans who consume large amounts of HCAs in meat products have increased risk of stomach, colon and breast cancers

Ready-to-eat meat products come in edible forms and don't need additional preparation or cooking.

The study focused on a number of ready-to-eat meat products: including hot dogs, deli roast beef, deli ham, deli turkey, fully cooked bacon, pepperoni and rotisserie chicken.

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