Shocking, Isn't It? And now for something completely different - a good word about the FDA. No kidding. This week, the Food and Drug Administration began the first in a series of meetings to plan research designed to understand what can be done to reduce or eliminate acrylamide from cooked foods. Last spring I sent you an e-Alert ("Feeling the Heat" 6/6/02) about research from Stockholm University in Sweden with a warning that a carcinogen called acrylamide is created when foods (especially carbohydrates) are cooked at high temperatures. This alarming study was quickly followed up over the summer with similar studies in Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom - all of them drawing virtually the same conclusions. The preliminary results from the Stockholm study showed that the highest levels of acrylamide occur in potato products, with bread containing somewhat lower levels, and breakfast cereals containing the least. This news, coupled with what we already know about the trans-fatty acids in oil used for deep frying, would have to qualify fast food French fries as just about the worst thing you can possibly eat. But fries are not the only culprits. The recent studies have named names: potato chips, crackers, pastries, and powdered coffee all contain high levels of acrylamide, while fried fish and fried chicken contain somewhat lower amounts. The FDA is working closely with the World Health Organization on this project. They hope to have final recommendations ready by the early part of 2004. And what do we do until then? An FDA spokesman suggested this revolutionary concept: we should eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables and lay off the fried foods. Hmmm…an unconventional bit of conventional wisdom from the FDA. Is there a full moon? To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute
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