Potato Chips Products V/S Cancer!!

Acrylamide is a naturally occurring chemical compound found in many plant-based, high-carbohydrate foods after they are heated. Laboratory experiments have found acrylamide in certain foods that were heated to a temperature above 120 degree C. 

Potato chips and French fries were found to contain higher levels of acrylamide compared with other foods. The WHO and the FAO stated that the levels of acrylamide in foods pose a “major concern” and that more research is needed to determine the risk of dietary acrylamide exposure.

Experimental animals studies reveal that all potato chips products exceed the safe limit for Acrylamide, a cancer causing chemical (Carcinogen) by 39 to 910 times!!! Studies in rodent models also confirm that acrylamide exposure poses a risk for several types of cancer. 
Its time to cut down on the consumption of potato chips and French fries! Next time you buy a packet of potato chips, do remind yourself of its side effects. Prevention is better than cure, isn’t it??

References

1. Friedman M. Chemistry, biochemistry, and safety of acrylamide. A review. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2003; 51(16):4504–4526. 
2. Pelucchi C, Galeone C, Levi F, et al. Dietary acrylamide and human cancer. International Journal of Cancer 2006; 118(2):467–471. 
3. Mojska H, Gielecinska I, Szponar L. Acrylamide content in heat-treated carbohydrate-rich foods in Poland. Roczniki Panstwowego Zakladu Higieny 2007; 58(1):345–349. 
4. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. World Health Organization. Summary report of the sixty-fourth meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). Retrieved July 24, 2008, from: http://www.who.int/entity/ipcs/food/jecfa/summaries/summary_report_64_final.pdf
5. Hogervorst JG, Schouten LJ, Konings EJ, Goldbohm RA, van den Brandt PA. Dietary acrylamide intake and the risk of renal cell, bladder, and prostate cancer. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2008; 87(5):1428–1438.