A recent document issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Association (FDA) indicates that acrylamide found in fried food can increase the risk of cancer.
FDA suggests that cutting down on some fried foods can help reduce the amount of acrylamide a person eats. Researchers say that high levels of acrylamide are found to cause cancer in animals and on that basis, researchers believe that high amount of acrylamide may also cause cancer in humans.
Lauren Robin, a FDA chemist, says that acrylamide is a chemical that can form in some foods, but mainly in plant-based foods, during cooking process at high temperature such as frying and baking. Robin indicates that boiling and steaming food does not form acrylamide. Some examples of food than can form acrylamide are potatoes, cereals, coffee, crackers or breads, dried fruits and more.
"Acrylamide forms from sugars and an amino acid that are naturally present in food. It does not form, or forms at lower levels, in dairy, meat and fish products. The formation occurs when foods are cooked at home and in restaurants as well as when they are made commercially," per FDA.
Grocery Manufacturers Association says that acrylamide is found in around 40 percent of the calories consumed by an average American, which indicates that American diet is associated with cancer risk to a certain extent.
Acrylamide has been forming on food since people have been baking, roasting, toasting or frying foods. However, it was only in 2002 that scientists discovered acrylamide in food. The FDA is now actively investigating the effects of acrylamide in food and potential measures to reduce it.
As acrylamide can be formed or is present in a vast variety of food it may not be possible for an individual to eliminate acrylamide all together. However, FDA has also issued some tips with which people can decrease the amount of acrylamide they intake. Some tips include: following manufacturer's guideline regarding time and temperature while cooking frozen food, toasting bread to light brown rather than dark brown and more.
The FDA concludes that having a healthy eating plan may also reduce acrylamide intake, which may in turn reduce the risk of cancer in humans.
