Acrylamides - Possible Link to Cancer

Did you know that back in 2002 Swedish scientists discovered something new? What they found was a substance they called acrylamide, which is a chemical that causes cancer in animals, and it is also in many common foods from breads to french fries.

So how do acrylamides form you might ask?  Well, what happens is that when the amino acid asparagine is present and then combines with sugar at high temperatures the result is this chemical. Typically, this substance forms in starchy foods when they are baked, fried, or roasted.  You might have heard of this reaction as it is known as the "Maillard" reaction, which causes the browning of food.

Right now, more studies need to be conducted in people to see if there is a clear link between acrylamides and cancer.  However, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the National Toxicology Program, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency all believe that acrylamides are likely to be cancer causing.  With that in mind, so far the FDA has only issued voluntary guidelines on how to lower levels just last year. 

That said, here are some ways to cut down on acrylamides. First of all, no need to worry about acrylamides in fish, poultry, meat, dairy, or most fruits and vegetables. 

Follow these tips:

• Toast bread and cook potatoes until they're golden yellow, not dark brown.
• Eat more boiled potatoes which have no acrylamides and eat less roasted potatoes which have some, and try to avoid fried which have the most.
• Eat more raw nuts which have no acrylamides. If you like roasted nuts you're better off with cashews and peanuts versus almonds as they have less acrylamides.  Evidently, the asparagine in almonds turns into acrylamide.
• Be careful with chips whether they be regular potato or sweet potato - they both contain more of this substance than a baked sweet potato. And, sweet potatoes chips have the most.
• Avoid veggie chips and sticks made from dehydrated potatoes as they are higher in acrylamides than potato chips.
• Choose dark roast coffee over light roast. Though acrylamides are created during the early roasting process the levels decline further along in the process.
• Eat fresh plums, but be careful with dried forms (prunes) which contain low levels of acrylamides, and prune juice produces higher levels.
• Black olives contain higher amounts of acrylamides than other olives.  This is mostly because of the heat used during canning.

Reference:  Nutrition Action, October 2017, Acrylamide Avoiding A Likely Carcinogen (p.10&11)