Yet Another Lurking Link Between Foods and Cancer

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Yet Another Lurking Link Between Foods and Cancer New research shows that a high dietary intake of acrylamide can increase the risk of breast cancer. The study was the first epidemiological study using biological markers for measuring acrylamide exposure, and also the first to report an acrylamide/breast cancer link.The study examined 374 postmenopausal women who had developed breast cancer, and an additional 374 healthy women who were used as controls. An increased acrylamide hemoglobin level doubled the risk of breast cancer.Acrylamide is a carcinogen created when starchy foods are baked, roasted, fried or toasted. It was found to cause cancer in laboratory rats in 2002. Sources: FoodNavigator.com January 11, 2008 International Journal of Cancer January 8, 2008 [Epub ahead of print] Dr. Mercola's Comments: I first warned readers of the dangers of acrylamide nearly six years ago in April of 2002. Since then many other studies have been published, confirming the initial findings that acrylamide can cause cancer in humans. For example, this study adds to last year’s findings by Janneke Hogervorst and co-workers from the University of Maastricht, who examined data from more than 62,500 women and found that increased dietary intakes of acrylamide could raise your risk of endometrial and ovarian cancer by 29 and 78 percent respectively.How is Acrylamide Created? Acrylamide, a “probable human carcinogen,” is formed in several foods as a result of a reaction between specific amino acids, including asparagine, and sugars found in foods when they reach high temperatures during cooking or processing. This reactive process is known as the Maillard reaction, and occurs at temperatures above 212°F (100°C). As a general rule, acrylamide is formed in vegetable-type foods when you heat them enough to produce a fairly dry and brown/yellow surface. Hence, it can be found in many common foods that are baked, fried, roasted or toasted, such as: Potatoes; chips, French fries and other roasted or fried potato foods Grains; bread crust, toast, crisp bread, roasted breakfast cereals and various processed snacks Coffee; roasted coffee beans and ground coffee powder. Surprisingly, coffee substitutes based on chicory actually contains 2-3 times MORE acrylamide than real coffee Acrylamide is Not the Only Danger However, acrylamide is not the only dangerous genotoxic compound formed when food

is heated to high temperatures. A three-year long EU project, known as Heat-Generated Food Toxicants (HEATOX) -- whose findings were published at the end of 2007 -- found there are more than 800 heat-induced compounds, of which 52 are potential carcinogens.In addition to their finding that acrylamide does pose a public health threat, the HEATOX scientists also 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. Additionally, the HEATOX findings also suggest that although there are ways to decrease exposure to acrylamide, it cannot be eliminated completely. According to their calculations, successful application of all

presently known methods would reduce the acrylamide intake by 40 percent at the most…For more in-depth information regarding their findings and consumer guidelines, I recommend reading their online report Heat-generated Food Toxicants, Identification, Characterization and Risk Minimization. How to Protect Yourself from Acrylamide and Other Toxic Compounds Most of the problems with cancer-causing byproducts stem from factory farmed, highly processed foods in general. Ideally, you should consume foods that are minimally processed, and come from local, environmentally sustainable sources. At the same time, over half of the foods you eat should be uncooked and eaten in the raw state. It may take you awhile to get to that point, but in

the meantime, you can start by avoiding processed foods, which simply have no redeeming qualities whatsoever, such as doughnuts, all sodas, French fries, and potato chips. In addition, you can reduce your exposure to these cancer-causing chemicals by throwing away your Teflon-coated cookware. Related Articles: The Dangers of Over-Cooking Your Food Finally We Know Why Cooking Grains Can Poison Your Food How Many Toxins Are in Your Potato Chips? http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/2/5/yet-another-lurking-link-between-foods-and-cancer.aspx Finally We Know Why Cooking Grains Can Poison Your Food Scientists in the UK may have uncovered the underlying origins of acrylamide, the carcinogenic substance formed when many grains are cooked at high temperatures, by taking a different approach: Determining how the chemicals that create it get into whole foods before they're prepared. Based on various analyses of wheat, asparagines -- an amino acid that contributes, along with sugar, in the formation of acrylamide -- collect in higher concentrations in farms where

sulphur is deficient, a problem around the globe.Researchers tested their theory by growing wheat in similar conditions some with and others without sulphur. By comparison, wheat without sulphur contact that was milled and cooked contained almost five times as much acrylamide. What's more, the acrylamide content of other cooked products made from that same wheat sans sulphur was more than six times higher. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry November 15, 2006; 54(23): 8951-8955 Nature.com November 23, 2006 Dr. Mercola's Comment: I first warned readers of the dangers of acrylamide in April of 2002. Problems like are this typical of factory farmed, highly processed foods in general. Ideally, you should consume foods that are minimally processed, and come from local, environmentally sustainable sources. It is important to understand the impact you have when you spend your money on highly processed factory food. Changing your shopping patterns by supporting local agriculture will not only help improve your

health, it will also help improve the environment and bring back our rural communities. At the same time, over half of the foods you eat should be uncooked and eaten in the raw state. It may take you awhile to get to that point, but in the meantime, you can start by avoiding processed foods which simply have no redeeming qualities whatsoever, such as doughnuts, all sodas, French fries, and potato chips. In addition, you can reduce your exposure to these cancer-causing chemicals by throwing away your Teflon-coated cookware. On Vital Votes, Dr. Loop from Lilburn, Georia agrees that French fries need to be taken off of your menu: "Speaking of Acrylamide, popular American brands of snack chips and French fries contain the highest levels of the substance, according to laboratory tests commissioned by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). Fast-food French fries showed disturbingly high levels of acrylamide with large orders containing 39 to 82 micrograms. One-ounce portions of Pringles potato crisps contained about 25 micrograms, with corn-based Fritos and Tostitos containing half that amount or less. "Regular and Honey Nut Cheerios contained 6 or 7 micrograms of the carcinogenic substance. The amount of acrylamide in a large order of fast-food French fries is at least 300 times more than what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency allows in a glass of water!

...." University research professor Dale Hattis estimated that acrylamide causes several thousand cancers per year in Americans. Hattis, an expert in risk analysis, based his estimate on standard EPA projections of risks from animal studies and limited sampling of acrylamide levels in Swedish and American foods." You can view other responses to this article at Vital Votes. You can also vote on the comments, or add your own, by first registering. Related Articles: Does Acrylamide in Common, Cooked Foods Cause Cancer? More Reports Confirm Carcinogen in Snack Chips and French Fries The Five Absolute Worst Foods You Can Eat

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