There appears to be another reason not to supersize those fries. A recent study conducted by the Swedish National Food Authority found that many high-carbohydrate foods, cooked at high temperatures contain the chemical acrylamide -- a compound known to cause cancer in laboratory animals.
The foods containing this carcinogenic compound include French fries, potato chips, certain cereals, breads and crackers. Acrylamide is not used as a preservative or additive but appears to be a by-product of the cooking process.
It isn't clear how these foods become contaminated by acrylamide. Research presented last week suggests that acrylamide forms when asparagine, an amino acid, reacts with sugars such as glucose when heated above 100 degrees Celsius. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, compounds responsible for cellular structure, function and reproduction.
Asparagine is a nonessential amino acid that is naturally made by the body but also can be obtained through plant foods, explained Larry Mesner, biochemistry and molecular genetics assistant professor of research.
Food scientists have long known of a particular reaction that occurs when proteins are heated in the presence of carbohydrates -- compounds made of simple sugars. This reaction is known as the Maillard reaction and is responsible for the flavor of most fried foods -- especially plant based foods.
It is not known what impact these new findings will have on the general public's cooking and eating habits.
"I think the study showing formation of relatively high levels of acrylamide during the cooking process in certain foods is significant and certainly warrants further investigation," Molecular Physiology graduate student Jennifer Hendrix said. "However, until further studies are done, I don't feel it is necessary to change my eating habits."
Hendrix went on to point out that there already are many other reasons why Americans should limit the intake of fried foods.
"Over-consumption of fried foods is already discouraged for reasons other than high acrylamide content, including increased risk of cardiovascular disease and obesity," she said.
Nonetheless, the popularity of fried foods in the United States has made the quest to determine how acrylamide forms a priority for public interest groups. "Acrylamide is a risk. We estimate that acrylamide causes several thousand cancers per year in the United States. The more french fries and potato chips we eat the more acrylamide we are exposed to and the greater our chance for cancer," said Dr. Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "Scientists need to do something to figure out how to stop acrylamides from forming."
Although there have been few studies conducted to determine whether acrylamide causes cancer in humans, numerous studies have shown that exposure to the chemical causes increased instances of cancer in laboratory rats.
"In high concentrations acrylamide does cause types of cancers in certain animals such as mice," said Dr. Christopher Holstege, assistant professor of emergency medicine and director of the Blue Ridge Poison Center. "The doses that they used with animals where they found that there was some affect was 500 times more than what they are finding in foods."
Citing these studies, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services indicated in the Ninth Report on Carcinogens that acrylamide is "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen based on sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals."
Despite the warning from HHS and the plethora of data from animal studies, acrylamide carcinogenicity wasn't a public health concern until the findings of the Swedish National Food Authority were published. In fact, the dangers of acrylamide were studied by occupational health experts, who determined that long-term exposure to acrylamide in the workplace does not increase the risk of cancer, Holstege explained.
Acrylamide is used in the synthesis of polyacrylamides, complex networks of single acrylamide molecules. Polyacrylamides are used by a variety of industries, including water treatment facilities, oil refineries, paper manufacturing plants and cosmetic manufactures. Inevitably the synthesis of polyacrylamides results in contamination because of residual un-polymerized acrylamide.
The U.S. government has long known of the dangers of this multi-functional compound. The Environmental Protection Agency mandates that drinking water contains no more than 0.12 micrograms per serving (eight ounces). However, the Food and Drug Administration issued no warnings about acrylamide and recommends only that Americans eat a well balanced diet.
Such an oversight upsets Jacobson.
"We have urged the FDA to advise Americans to cut back on the least nutritious contaminated foods, and French fries would be at the top of the list," he said.
In an effort to spur the FDA into action, The Center for Science in the Public Interest recently commissioned the same group of scientists that published the original findings for the Swedish National Food Authority to examine the acrylamide content in a variety of American foods. Their findings indicated some brands of potato chips and French fries contained up to 800 times the amount of acrylamide allowed in eight ounces of water.
The fact that popular foods contain high amounts of a possible carcinogen is alarming, but not unusual.
"To put it in perspective, remember that polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, PAHs, which you get with grilling, probably pose a much greater risk for cancer than those associated with acrylamide -- but I don't see anybody stopping grilling," Holstege said. "There is also a high content of acrylamide in smoke, so people that have been smoking have been exposed to acrylamide for years."
Holstege said he believes more studies are needed to determine whether the amount of acrylamide found in carbohydrate rich foods causes cancer. But until that data is available he stresses that people should eat less processed foods and more fresh fruits and vegetables.
"Remember, eating just the processed foods -- potato chips and things like that -- is not necessarily a good thing. People have to vary their diet with a lot of fresh vegetables," Holstege said. "There are anti-carcinogenic properties of eating fresh fruits and vegetables."
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