The issue of fried foods and cancer first came to the attention of health experts in April of 2.002.
At that time, a team of Swedish researchers announced that many common foods, especially those that are fried, contain a potentially cancer-causing (carcinogenic) chemical called acrylamide.
Since 2.002, more research has confirmed that acrylamide is found in many of the foods we eat.
Acrylamide is formed during traditional cooking methods such as frying, baking, and roasting.
Health experts believe that acrylamide has been present in our diets for hundreds and even thousands of years since humans began using fire and heat to cook food!
At this point, it is not completely understood how acrylamide is formed in food.
However, it is known that acrylamide is found in many high carbohydrate foods that have been manufactured or cooked at high temperatures.
This includes items such as french fries, potato chips, donuts,other snack foods, crackers, cereals, and some baked goods.
A few other common foods, such as coffee and olives, also contain acrylamide.
In summary, acrylamide is formed in high carbohydrate foods that are prepared at high temperatures.
It is found in a few other foods like coffee and olives as well.
Does acrylamide in food cause cancer?
We know that occupational exposures to acrylamide can have health risks.
"Occupational" refers to large exposures that can happen in the work place.
People who work with acrylamide must take precautions to avoid being exposed to this chemical in large amounts.
Laboratory studies in animals show that large exposures to acrylamide may cause health problems, including damage to the nervous system and increased risk of cancer.
But this does not prove that the small amounts of acrylamide in the food supply will cause the same health problems.
This is because the levels of acrylamide in food are just a tiny fraction of occupational exposures and the levels of exposure used in animal studies.
Food, acrylamide & cancer risk
Since the original announcement about acrylamide in food in 2.002, numerous research studies have examined possible connections between acrylamide in food and risk of cancer in people.
These studies have included many thousands of people.
They have looked at a variety of cancers, including cancers of the bladder, breast, colon and rectum, esophagus, kidney, larynx, oral cavity (mouth and throat), ovary, and pharynx.
These studies have considered specific foods that are high in acrylamide, such as fried potatoes.
Not a single one of these studies has shown that acrylamide in the foods that we eat is linked with increased risk of cancer .
The bad news is that acrylamide is found in a large number of the foods we eat, including french fries, baked goods, breads, crackers, cookies, chips, coffee, cereals, and many other foods.
The good news is that to date, no studies in humans have shown any connection between acrylamide in food and increased risk of cancer.
Putting acrylamide in perspective
Available research tells us that acrylamide in food is not responsible for increased cancer risk.
However, even if the research does not show a connection between acrylamide in food and cancer risk, it makes sense to limit our exposure to this chemical.
Furthermore, there are lots of other good reasons to avoid many of the foods that contain the highest amounts of acrylamide.
Fried potatoes and baked snack foods should not be a major part of our diet regardless of acrylamide content!
These foods are high in fat and saturated fat, they contain too much salt, and often they are full of preservatives, dyes, and other items that do not contribute to good health.
As well, these foods contain a lot of calories and they do not provide the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that we know help reduce risk of cancer and many other diseases.
For all of these reasons, these foods should be an occasional treat, not a regular part of the diet.
Minimizing acrylamide in your diet
Focus your diet around healthy, unprocessed, whole foods such as vegetables, fruit, legumes, and whole grains.
The more crisp and brown that a baked food is, the more acrylamide it is likely to contain.
For example, "well-done" french fries and potato chips contain more acrylamide than the more lightly cooked versions of these foods.
When cooking starchy vegetables such as potatoes at home, cook them at a lower temperature for a longer period time.
This minimizes the amount of acrylamide that is formed during the cooking process.
Cooking foods at a higher temperature creates more acrylamide.
Frying and dry baking appear to generate the most acrylamide in foods.
If you do fry or bake foods at home, do not cook them to a dark brown color.
The darker, more crisp, and more "done" the food is, the more acrylamide it is likely to contain.
Boiling, steaming, lightly sautéing and stir frying foods appears to create very little or no acrylamide.
Go for organic.
Some health experts feel that the chemicals that are used in conventional agriculture methods may increase the amount of acrylamide that forms in the final, cooked food product.
Finally, do your best to stay informed about the acrylamide food issue.
The scientific research on this topic is new and evolving.
It is always possible that future research studies will provide additional, important information about acrylamide in the food supply and human health concerns.
In summary , don't be overly concerned about acrylamide in food as a cause of cancer.
Do focus on keeping processed foods such as fries, chips, and other baked goods to a minimum because they are not healthy for a variety of reasons.
0 comments:
Post a Comment