Cooking Up Trouble If you are what you eat, then the U.S. is a double cheeseburger with a large order of French fries. Of course, we're also a little bit fruits and vegetables and other wholesome foods. But let's face it, no matter how well you and I may eat, as a nation we gorge on junky fast food like there's no tomorrow. This is one reason why just about everyone in the healthcare community was alarmed two years ago when Swedish researchers reported that several very common prepared foods contain high levels of a suspected carcinogen called acrylamide. Now acrylamide is in the news again with evidence that this substance might not be as bad as first suspected. So is it time to call off the dogs? Absolutely not.
Acrylamide is a compound most often associated with plastic manufacturing. From previous research, we know that it can cause tumors in laboratory animals. But when the 2002 Swedish research revealed that high levels of acrylamide may be created by doing something as simple as baking a loaf of bread, it sent shockwaves through the nutrition field. Researchers at Stockholm University first made the discovery while studying how staple foods are affected by cooking. Sweden's National Food Administration (NFA) then refined the testing by subjecting more than 100 different types of carbohydrate-rich foods to high-heat cooking methods such as baking, frying and deep-frying. They concluded that these types of food preparations on starch-rich foods cause a spontaneous creation of acrylamide. Researchers still aren't sure exactly how or why this happens. The preliminary results 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. Studies show that potato chips, crackers, pastries, and powdered coffee all contain high levels of acrylamide, while fried fish and fried chicken contain somewhat lower amounts.
For more than a year we haven't heard much on continuing acrylamide research. Then, late last month, the FDA announced the results of testing done on about 750 food products to determine acrylamide content. No acrylamide was found in fresh fruits and vegetables, processed milk, cheese, ice cream, or infant formula. But fairly high amounts of the compound showed up in black olives, bottled prune juice, sweet potatoes and arrowroot teething biscuits. Other processed foods that contained varying amounts of acrylamide include prepared meals containing turkey and vegetables, peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies. Just days after the FDA report was released, two Swedish studies on acrylamide were presented at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society. These studies (which have not been published) are said to show no association between acrylamide intake and three types of cancer: colon, rectum and breast. An Associated Press (AP) report stated that, "The findings should calm fears brought on two years ago." So… why aren't my fears calmed?
Here are four reasons why I'm not reassured by the two new studies: One: The language used to report on the studies is very soft. AP says the studies "suggest" acrylamide foods are safe. Nature Science Update says that ingesting acrylamide doesn't "seem" to increase breast cancer risk. And one of the study's authors states that acrylamide (as consumed in the Swedish diet) "doesn't appear" to be associated with a higher cancer risk. Two: The studies examined risk of colon, rectum and breast cancers. There are lots of other types of cancer that could conceivably be triggered by acrylamide intake. Three: A report in Nature Science Update noted that acrylamide is formed when frying or baking heats sugars and amino acids to temperatures above 120 degrees C. This process creates the Maillard reaction; also called the browning reaction. Just last week, in the e-Alert "Prime Suspect" (4/6/04), HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., explained why this process should not be taken lightly: "The browning reaction occurs when certain carb molecules bind with proteins and cause aging. It changes the structure of enzymes and other proteins, resulting in tissue and organ damage (and it's suspected in organ damage particularly in diabetics)." Four: Reuters Health reports that a 2003 study from the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, California, revealed that acrylamides can mutate DNA.
No one will be more delighted than I will to bring you news of a series of studies that show conclusively that acrylamides pose no real health threat. But until that day arrives, I'm going to keep a healthy skepticism about preliminary "good news." In the meantime, what we really need are further studies of populations that have a high acrylamide intake. Someplace, for instance, where millions of cheeseburgers and large orders of French fries are served daily. To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute Sources:
"FDA Finds Cancer-Risk Acrylamides in More Food" Maggie Fox, Reuters Health, 3/25/04, reutershealth.com
"Studies Find No Acrylamide, Cancer Link" Andrew Bridges, Associated Press, 3/29/04, ap.org
"No Link Between Acrylamide and Breast Cancer" Mark Peplow, Nature Science Update, 3/30/04, nature.com
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