Researchers are alerting the public to a chemical that is created during the cooking of a number of common family dishes. According to some, it could raise your risk of heart attack and stroke by 60%. Acrylamide is created when meals like bread, coffee, and potatoes are heated. Browning is frequently seen in burnt carbohydrates and is the result of a reaction between heat and natural sugars.
The Effects of Acrylamide
Meals prepared by industrial cooking, such as ultra-processed foods, as well as some cosmetics and cigarettes, contain acrylamide. There have been worries for years that acrylamide may cause bodily reactions that could lead to cancer. However, a group of researchers from Spain has found that acrylamide consumption may also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The Acrylamide Study
The findings were published by the researchers in the journal Nutrients. For the analysis, scientists looked at hundreds of studies with over 100,000 participants dating back to 2007. They found that a higher risk of cardiovascular problems was linked to higher acrylamide consumption. This covers strokes, heart attacks, and even death!
The researchers referenced a number of studies that showed that among susceptible patients, high levels of acrylamide were linked to an 84% increased risk of cardiovascular death. Those at risk for type 2 diabetes were among them.
Exposure to Acrylamide
A three to two-thirds higher risk of cardiovascular death has been associated with dietary exposure to high levels of acrylamide. The researchers also referenced a Chinese study that showed those exposed to greater amounts of acrylamide had a 47–67% increased risk of cardiovascular disease over the next ten years.
Acrylamide levels in the diet ranged from 32.6 to 57 micrograms per day on average during the investigations, with the more “extreme” end of the spectrum leading to worse cardiovascular outcomes.
Possible Mechanisms
An average slice of toast is thought to contain about 4.8 micrograms of acrylamide. However, when the toast burns, this quantity practically doubles. Although the exact pathways by which acrylamide impairs cardiovascular function are unknown, the researchers asserted that laboratory testing has revealed some plausible ones.
According to one idea they put forth, the chemical increases inflammation and causes fat to build up in body tissues, which may be a contributing factor to the onset of cardiovascular diseases like obesity.
Additional Study
They said that given acrylamide’s growing exposure in daily life, additional research is required to determine its potential implications on heart health. Everyone has unknowingly been exposed to this prevalent food processing ingredient at some point in their lives. In addition to highly processed foods, foods prepared at home and in restaurants, including those made with more recent cooking methods like air fryers, can also expose people to acrylamide.
Preventing the Production of Acrymalides
Finding strategies to lower acrylamide production is one of the most important research topics now facing individuals working in the food sector, given the existing levels. According to the researchers, this was crucial given how little the general public knows about acrylamide. Additionally, a lot of individuals think that food that has been browned tastes better and is more tasty.
Study Limitations
There were certain restrictions, such as the fact that the majority of the studies that were looked at were conducted in the United States, which might have limited the applicability of the data to other populations. In the UK, cardiovascular disease accounts for over 25% of all fatalities, or 480 deaths each day or 170,000 deaths annually.
Cancer Risk
Consuming acrylamide has been linked to an increased risk of cancer. Although the risk has mostly been shown in animal studies using high acrylamide dosages, the researchers think that people may also be at risk and that we should attempt to reduce the amount that is consumed.
Other scientists, however, contest the veracity of the data. They point out that for it to have an adverse effect, 160 charred slices of toast would need to be consumed daily.
Suggestions and Rules
However, medical institutions like the NHS have released recommendations on how people should reduce their acrylamide intake. When frying, toasting, or roasting starchy meals, they advised aiming for a golden yellow color rather than brown.
To prevent overcooking items like fries, it is also advised that you adhere to the cooking directions on the package. Additionally, they claimed that steaming or boiling your meals will reduce your exposure to acrylamide.
