Warning over 'burnt toast chemical' acrylamide's cancer risk

"Browned toast and potatoes are 'potential cancer risk', say food scientists," BBC News reports. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has launched a campaign about the possible health risk of acrylamide, a chemical formed when starchy foods are subjected to a high temperature. The campaign is called Go for Gold – a reference to the advice that when frying, baking, toasting or roasting starchy foods like potatoes, you should aim for a golden yellow colour (or lighter). What are the risks associated with acrylamide? Acrylamide is a chemical compound naturally produced when foods high in starch are fried or baked at high temperatures. It can be found in potatoes, chips, crisps, bread, and other cereal and wheat products. There is evidence rodents exposed to high levels of acrylamide develop cancer, as we discussed back in 2012 about a study looking at frozen chips. It is currently unclear whether a similar risk exists in human. It's possible prolonged exposure to acrylamide through eating acrylamide-rich food for many years could increase the risk. Acrylamide is currently defined by the World Health Organization as "probably carcinogenic to humans". This means while no definitive proof has been found that acrylamide is carcinogenic, as a precaution, exposure to acrylamide should ideally be limited to as little as possible. What advice does the FSA provide? The FSA offer the following four tips: go for gold – as a general rule of thumb, aim for a gold...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: QA articles Food/diet Cancer Source Type: news