A recent study has reportedly found no positive association between dietary acrylamide intake and lung cancer, concluding that the chemical created by baking, frying and toasting foods at high temperatures may be “involved in human carcinogenesis through pathways other than genotoxicity.” Janneke G. F. Hogervorst, et al., “Lung Cancer Risk in Relation to Dietary Acrylamide Intake,” Journal of the National Cancer Institute, April 28, 2009. Dutch researchers surveyed the dietary habits of 58,279 men and 62,573 women ages 55 through 69 who were enrolled in the Netherlands Cohort Study on Diet and Cancer. The results after 13 years suggested that men who consumed the most potato chips, French fries, Dutch spiced cake, coffee, bread, and cookies did not have a statistically different risk for lung cancer than those who reported eating the least amount of these foods. Moreover, women with the highest acrylamide intake had a decreased risk of lung cancer compared…
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Health Canada has recommended adding acrylamide to the country’s list of toxic substances. The chemical is produced when sugars and an amino acid in starchy foods are cooked at high temperatures, causing a reaction called the Maillard effect. Acrylamide has been detected in breakfast cereals, pastries, cookies, breads and rolls, coffee, and potato products such as French fries and potato chips. The chemical’s presence at high levels in carbohydrate-rich foods was discovered in 2002 by the Swedish food safety authorities. It has apparently been found to cause cancer in laboratory rats. According to a notice published in the February 21, 2009, Canada Gazette, current consumption levels “may constitute a danger in Canada to human life or health.” Comments on the recommendation must be submitted by April 22. See Globe and Mail, February 21, 2009; Foodnavigator-usa.com, February 26, 2009. Meanwhile, research recently published in the American Journal of Epidemiology reportedly shows that…
A recent study has reportedly concluded that normal dietary exposure to acrylamide does not increase the risk of developing gastrointestinal cancers. J. G. F. Hogervorst, et al., “Dietary Acrylamide Intake Is Not Associated with Gastrointestinal Cancer Risk,” Journal of Nutrition, November 2008. Earlier studies have linked high doses of acrylamide, a chemical byproduct of high-temperature cooking processes, to cancer in laboratory animals. Researchers from Maastricht University analyzed data from 5,000 people enrolled in the Netherlands Cohort Study, concluding that the daily average acrylamide intake for all participants was 21.7 milligrams. During the 13-year follow-up, the authors determined that cases of colorectal, gastric, pancreatic, and esophageal cancers were not associated with acrylamide consumption. In addition, they noted that obesity and age appeared to be risk factors for these diseases. “Overall, acrylamide intake was not associated with colorectal, gastric, pancreatic, and esophageal cancer, but some subgroups deserve further attention,” the authors were…
