This chemical in foods has been shown to cause cancer in mice but more research is needed to determine its risk in humans.
Did you know that if clients broil, fry, toast, bake, or barbecue starchy foods, such as bread and potatoes, they can increase their intake of the chemical acrylamide? The more the food browns, the more acrylamide is present.
When researchers gave lab animals acrylamide in their drinking water, they developed cancer. The question is: Is acrylamide a cancer risk for humans as well? Toxicology studies show that humans and rodents absorb acrylamide at different rates.1
Acrylamide is used to manufacture plastics, including food wraps, papers and dyes, and in water treatment products and cosmetics. Cigarette smoke also is a major source of the chemical.
The FDA has been studying the issue since acrylamide was discovered in food in 2002, but it has taken no official position. Meanwhile, the FDA is helping farmers, producers, and foodservice personnel reduce acrylamide in food, says Libby Mills, MS, RDN, LDN, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
The World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations have stated that acrylamide levels in foods are a “major concern.” However, they said more research is needed.
Read the full article at Today’s Dietitian…
Written by Beth W. Orenstein. Reprinted with permission from Today’s Dietitian
