A Taste of Wellness for Savoury and Snacks
Givaudan
Dietary levels of the potential carcinogen acrylamide - found in fatty fried foods such as crisps and fries - are not high enough to increase the risk of cancer in humans, report researchers. The results of the study - the first to look at the role of high levels of dietary acrylamide - will be welcomed by consumer and food industry alike.
Swedish scientists last year sparked a worldwide food scare when they found high levels of acrylamide, a possible human carcinogen, in high carbohydrate foods including crispbreads, certain cereals and cooked potatoes.
Animal and laboratory studies in the past have indicated that acrylamide is found in elevated levels in certain foods, such as potato chips, French fries, cereals and biscuits, among others. Acrylamide appears to form as a result of a reaction between specific amino acids and sugars found in foods when heated to high temperatures. But this latest study, by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, found no association between the consumption of foods high in acrylamide and increased risk of three forms of cancer - bladder, large bowel and kidney.
The researchers assessed the diets of 987 cancer patients and 538 healthy individuals, over a five year span, to see if there was a link between consumption of foods high in acrylamide and an increased risk of cancer. Each participant filled out a detailed food frequency questionnaire listing a total of 188 different types of foods containing medium to high levels of acrylamide.
To ascertain the level of acrylamide in each participant's diet, the researchers referred to the Swedish National Food Administration's 2002 report which lists concentrations in a wide range of popular foods.
The researchers report that among the study population they consistently found a lack of excess risk among those who regularly consumed foods with high levels of acrylamide (300-1200 micrograms per kilogram) or moderate levels (30-299 micrograms per kilogram). In addition, individuals with the highest total acrylamide intake were at no greater risk of cancer than those with lower intake.
Lorelei Mucci, lead author of the study and a researcher in the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health said: "It's very reassuring to know that when we looked in detail at the effects of consuming foods containing high levels of acrylamide, we found no increased risk for three major cancers. The findings do not, however, condone eating junk food."
With a word of warning she added: "Acrylamide does increase the risk of certain neurological conditions and more research needs to be done in this area. Overall, the results of this study provide some evidence that it looks as though there's much less to worry about than was initially thought."
Full findings are published 28 January issue of the British Journal of Cancer.