High-heat (grilled or fried) meat and blood pressure
A study by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found a link between eating meat and fish cooked at high temperatures-that is, well-done or grilled-and a higher risk of developing high blood pressure. The team looked at three long-term studies including a total of 104,000 U.S. adults. The results were presented at the American Heart Association's annual meeting.
The risk of developing high blood pressure was 17 percent higher among participants who reported eating grilled or well-done red meat, chicken, or fish at least 15 times a month, compared with the group that ate these foods only four times a month.
The link between cooking method, cooking temperature and high blood pressure was observed (the researchers also noted) regardless of how much people ate and the type of foods in their diet.
In experiments, heterocyclic aromatic amines, which form when meat is cooked at high temperatures, caused oxidative stress, insulin resistance and inflammation. This damages the inner lining of blood vessels (the endothelium) and can contribute to atherosclerosis. That narrows the vessels and contributes to high blood pressure and heart disease.
In conclusion, study author Gang Liu pointed out that avoiding heavily browned meat/fish and cooking over an open flame or at high temperatures may help reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure.
To date, this is the only study that specifically examines the link between high blood pressure and well-done meat cooked at high temperatures. However, other studies have already shown that meat prepared this way increases the risk of developing certain types of cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Sources
This article is from Tensana – the leading app since 2011, helping hundreds of thousands of people monitor their blood pressure every day.
Our content is based on carefully researched, evidence-based data and is continuously updated (as of 01/2026).
Author Sabine Croci is a qualified medical assistant with many years of experience in internal medicine and cardiology practices as well as outpatient care, and has headed the specialist editorial team at Tensana since 2015. Thanks to her extensive additional qualifications as an emergency medical technician, first responder, and in various areas of therapy and emergency care, she provides well-founded, practical, and reliably verified information.
Author Sabine Croci is a qualified medical assistant with many years of experience in internal medicine and cardiology practices as well as outpatient care, and has headed the specialist editorial team at Tensana since 2015. Thanks to her extensive additional qualifications as an emergency medical technician, first responder, and in various areas of therapy and emergency care, she provides well-founded, practical, and reliably verified information.
