Heating Natural Plant- Based Foods Produces Acrylamide. By Dr. Mercola. Acrylamide, a cancer- causing and potentially neurotoxic chemical, is created when carbohydrate- rich foods are cooked at high temperatures, whether baked, fried, roasted, grilled or toasted. Some of the worst offenders include potato chips and French fries, but many foods cooked or processed at temperatures above 2. F/1. 20 C may contain acrylamide. As a general rule, the chemical is formed when food is heated enough to produce a fairly dry and brown/yellow surface . This chart graphically details the %DV that a serving of Celery provides for each of the nutrients of which it is a good, very good, or excellent source according to. A Crash Course on Coconuts: See How the World Uses this Fruit. You have probably heard me praise the benefits of coconut oil and coconut water. Studies about their. Researchers Have Known About Acrylamide for a Decade. Once believed to be only an industrial product used in plastics, cosmetics and water treatment facilities, as well as found in cigarette smoke, it was not until 2. I remember the news stories very clearly 1. Reaction products of acrylamide were regularly detected in people that had no known exposure to the chemical, and levels approaching 1. Looking for a possible source, researchers hypothesized that acrylamide was formed at elevated temperatures in cooking – and they were right. Writing in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry,i researchers found moderate levels of acrylamide (5. Unheated or boiled foods showed undetectable levels (< 5 . They estimated the average daily intake of the chemical to be 3. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and World Health Organization (WHO) data. WARNING: Some Potato Chips Contain Acrylamide in Levels 9. Times Over the Legal Limit. Acrylamide forms from a reaction between sugars and an amino acid (asparagine) during high- temperature cooking. In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. The word diet often implies the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight. Search Harvard Health Publications. What can we help you find? Enter search terms and tap the Search button. Both articles and products will be searched. While many foods – from coffee and breakfast cereal to bread – contain it, the highest levels have been detected in starchy plant- based foods, particularly French fries and potato chips. The federal limit for acrylamide in drinking water is 0.
However, a six- ounce serving of French fries can contain 6. Similarly, potato chips are notoriously high in this dangerous chemical. So high, in fact, that in 2. California actually sued potato chip makers for failing to warn California consumers about the health risks of acrylamide in their products. A settlement was reached in 2. Frito- Lay and several other potato chip makers agreed to reduce the acrylamide levels in their chips to 2. A 2. 00. 5 report issued by the California- based Environmental Law Foundation (ELF) also revealed the risks of eating potato chips, as all potato chip products tested exceeded the legal limit of acrylamide by a minimum of 3. And baked chips, which are often regarded as healthier, may contain more than three times the level of acrylamide as regular chips, according to U. S. Food and Drug Administration Data (FDA). You're probably already aware that French fries and potato chips are not health foods, but remember that acrylamide is formed not only when foods are fried, but also when they are baked. According to the FDA's data, Ore Ida Golden Fries contained 1. Exposure to Acrylamide Increases Cancer Risk. Animal studies have shown that exposure to acrylamide increases the risk of several types of cancer,vi and the International Agency for Research on Cancer considers acrylamide a . While the EPA regulates acrylamide in drinking water and the FDA regulates the amount of acrylamide residue in materials that may come in contact with food, they do not currently have any guidelines limiting the chemical in food itself. It would be a good start if they did, but only a start, as a three- year long EU project, known as Heat- Generated Food Toxicants (HEATOX),ix the findings of which were published at the end of 2. Can You Reduce Your Exposure to Cancer- Causing Acrylamide? Acrylamide levels vary greatly among processed foods, even among different batches of the same food item. The chemical has so far only been found in foods heated above 2. F/1. 20 C, which includes most processed foods. Basing your diet on whole foods, with the majority or a significant portion eaten raw or only lightly cooked is therefore one of the best ways to avoid this cancer- causing cooking byproduct. For the times when you do cook your food, here are some tips to keep in mind: Frying, baking and broiling appear to be the worst offenders, while boiling or steaming appear to be much safer Longer cooking times increase acrylamide, so the shorter the duration of cooking, the better Soaking raw potatoes in water for 1. The darker brown the food, the more acrylamide it contains (for instance, dark brown toast compared to light brown toast) Acrylamide is found primarily in plant- based foods, such as potatoes and grain products (not typically in meat, dairy or seafood) In addition, the HEATOX scientists discovered that you're far less likely to ingest dangerous levels of the toxin when you eat home- cooked foods compared to industrially or restaurant- prepared foods. And when you do eat at home, the best advice they could give was to avoid overcooking your food. This is an important health . I believe it's really wise to strive to get as much raw food in your diet as possible. I personally try to eat about 8.
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