NEW YORK - Rejoice, hot dog lovers! Your favorite food may actually be better for you than rotisserie chicken, MSNBC reports.

Sounds odd, but hot dogs, as well as pepperoni and deli meats, are relatively free of carcinogenic compounds, according to Kansas State University researchers, who has been studying such ready-to-eat meat products to determine their levels of heterocyclic amines, or HCAs ?" carcinogenic compounds found in meat that is fried, grilled or cooked at high temperatures.

The news source notes that studies have shown that folks who consume large amounts of HCAs in meat products have increased risk of stomach, colon and breast cancers.

KSU??s study focused on eight types of ready-to-eat meat products: beef hot dogs, beef-pork-turkey hot dogs, deli roast beef, deli ham, deli turkey, fully cooked bacon, pepperoni and rotisserie chicken. Pepperoni had the least HCA content, followed by hot dogs and deli meat.

"Hot dogs and deli meat may have low HCA levels because they are manufactured at low temperatures," J. Scott Smith, professor of food chemistry, told the news source. "The low HCA levels may also be from ingredients that are added to the meat and prevent HCAs from forming while the meat is cooking."