Can Burnt Foods Really Cause Cancer ?!

Burnt food is always unpleasant - it tastes gross, and often ruins something you were desperately looking forward to eating.

But burnt food doesn't only taste bad, it also increases the risk for cancer.

You might have heard this myth about burnt toast (and burnt dishes in general), but last week, this theory has gotten some new media coverage.

What makes it so dangerous is Acrylamide, a compound that forms when asparagine (an amino acid) reacts with a sugar like glucose.

Asparagine is naturally found in foods which are high in starch, so when these starchy foods are fried/baked at high temperatures (above 120°C), the dangerous Acrylamide forms.
So yes: Even starchy foods that are exposed to a high temperature without being burnt are already a risk as well!
The levels of acrylamide just rise the darker the food gets, so it gets more dangerous the more the food burns!

Acrylamide is mostly classified as a carcinogenic - most likely, it can cause cancer.

There's still an ongoing discussion about the real cancer risk linked to acrylamide, as most studies are done on animals and you can't transfer the results 1:1, but most health organizations and institutes are sure that increases cancer risk.

"Evidence from animal studies shows that acrylamide and its metabolite glycidamide are genotoxic and carcinogenic: they damage DNA and cause cancer.. But evidence from human studies that dietary exposure to acrylamide causes cancer is currently limited and inconclusive”.

-European Food Standards Agency, 2015

“The dose given to animals is often not representative of the sort of dose you might have in human exposure. It’s also highly plausible humans respond differently to the same chemicals in animals. You have to be very cautious when interpreting animal data and transferring it to humans.”

-Paul Pharoah, professor of cancer epidemiology at the University of Cambridge

Last week, the FSA (UK Food Standards Agency) has launched a campaign named "Go for Gold", which encourages people to eat foods with a golden color - but nothing darker than that, as it indicates burns.

"As a general rule of thumb, aim for a golden yellow colour or lighter when frying, baking, toasting or roasting starchy foods like potatoes, root vegetables and bread" is what the FSA recommends.

Although it's still a controversial topic and some studies have proven the carcinogenic properties of acrylamide while others haven't, it's still safer to avoid it if possible.

Results for endometrial- ovarian and kidney- cancer types have been mixed, and more studies are still being developed.
But it's not like burnt foods taste better anyway, so you're not really missing out on anything.
You don't have to cut out potato chips, roast potatoes or toast completely from your diet - just taking care that you don't overheat those starchy foods will most likely keep you on the safe side.

Just keep in mind to "Go for Gold" and don't heat your starchy dishes past a light brown, golden color.

Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

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