Overdone fries, toast can cause cancer: Study

`Go For Gold Colour, Not Dark Brown When Baking, Frying'

Potatoes and bread cooked at high temperatures for a long time could increase the 

risk of cancer in people who eat them regularly, British government scientists said on 

Monday . Toast, roast potatoes and chips, are all traditional staples of the British 

diet. The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) said a substance called acrylamide,

produced when starchy foods are roasted, fried or grilled for too long at high 

temperatures, has been found in animal studies to increase the risk of cancer.

In a statement that drew criticism from some independent experts, the FSA said that, 

to reduce the danger, consumers should opt for “#GoForGold“, a gold colour rather 

than a darker brown when frying, roasting, baking, grilling or toasting. It also said 

potatoes should not be stored in the fridge, which can increase acrylamide levels, 

and should be cut into larger wedges to reduce their surface area when cooked to 

limit levels.

“The scientific consensus is that acrylamide has the potential to cause cancer in 

humans,“ it said.“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.“

But some experts said there were far more well-established and significant foods and 

habits linked to cancer risk -such as smoking, drinking and being overweight and 

consumers should focus on changing those above all else. “Evidence from animal 

studies shows that acrylamide has the potential to interact with the DNA in our cells, 

so could be linked to cancer,“ Cancer Research UK said in a response to the 

FSA's announcement. “However, evidence from human studies has shown that, for

most cancer types, there is no link between acrylamide and cancer risk.“

The WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer, classifies acrylamide as a 

“probable human carcinogen“, putting it in the same risk category as using anabolic 

steroids, eating red meat, drinking very hot drinks or working as a hairdresser. Several 

reports pointed out that tests cited by the government had only confirmed that acrylami 

de in the diet causes cancer in animals, not in humans.

 

Britons consume an estimated 382 million portions of fish and chips every year and 

there some 10,500 around “chippies“ around the country . Toast is Britain's favourite 

breakfast and teatime food, while roast potatoes are a Sunday lunch staple. “Should 

we give up toast?“ BBC News tweeted, while the Daily Mail assured readers: “Burnt 

toast isn't dangerous -unless you have 320 slices each day.“ There have been similar 

health alerts in other countries since Sweden first warned about the dangers of acrylamide 

in 2002, including in US. The WHO and the European Food Safety Authority have also

said that acrylamide may be a human carcinogen, the FSA said.

Source: The Times of India