Scientists: Toasted Slices Are Carcinogenic

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Do our favorite toasts cause cancer? The answer lies in the presence of acrylamide - a toxic molecule that increases the risk of cancer. It is formed during frying, roasting or grilling of foods that are rich in carbohydrates.

The reason we even know about the potential dangers of acrylamide is railway tunnels. Nearly 20 years ago, workers built a tunnel in southern Sweden. Nearby cows began to show strange symptoms, staggered around, and in some cases fainted and died.

This sparked an investigation that showed they were drinking contaminated water. The contamination was from the toxic molecule acrylamide. Construction workers used its polymer polyacrylamide to fill cracks. This in itself is safe, but the polymer-forming reaction was incomplete, so that acrylamide remained unreacted.

Workers were tested to see if they also had dangerous levels of acrylamide in their blood. A control group composed of people who had not been exposed to industrial acrylamide was used as a basis for comparison. It turned out that in the blood of people in the control group there are surprisingly high levels of the substance.

At first it was thought that burgers might be the source. High levels of acrylamide were then found in potato products such as french fries as well as in coffee. It became clear that the formation of acrylamide is associated with carbohydrate-rich foods, as well as foods that are processed at temperatures above 120 ° C - during frying and baking. This was a new discovery, but acrylamide has always been formed in these cooking methods since they were invented.

Acrylamide is formed in reactions between the natural amino acid asparagine and some (naturally occurring) carbohydrates. Not found in raw or cooked food. Dairy, meat and fish products are much less likely to contain it. It doesn't matter if the food is organic or not, its type is decisive. Acrylamide is also formed when we smoke tobacco.

The golden rule should say: cook the food until it turns yellow, not brown or black. This limits the formation of acrylamide, but if cooked at too low a temperature, it is less likely to kill bacteria, and this carries the risk of food poisoning.

While scientists have identified the source of acrylamide, they have not found that it is certainly carcinogenic to humans if consumed in the usual amounts that can be found in cooked foods.

In 2015, a review of the available data led to the conclusion that acrylamide in food was not associated with the risk of most common cancers. However, it is added that a certain association cannot be ruled out in people with kidney and ovarian cancer who have never smoked. However, experts advise eating more fruits and vegetables and boiling food instead of frying or baking.