fried foods and Acrylamides

[Guest guest]

FRIED STAPLE FOODS DANGER - Acrylamides Attack the ThyroidFRIED STAPLE FOODS DANGER - Acrylamides Attack the Thyroid JoAnn Guest Jan 06, 2005 21:34 PST European and American food science experts and officials are taking concerted action to try to reduce potentially dangerous levels of acrylamide, a toxin known to cause cancer, in staple foods. The move follows an announcement in March by Swedish scientists that acrylamides were present in a wide range of foods, particularly fried, starch-based foods, such as chips and French fries. "...t is the first time we are dealing with substances that are potentially carcinogenic in human staple foods," said Dieter Arnold of the Federal Institute for Consumer Health Protection in Berlin. The experts said that traces of carcinogens can be found in grilled and baked meats, but acrylamide represents an even greater danger.

Acrylamide is a known poisonous substance produced in plastics manufacture. Its presence in food was a chance discovery by researchers at Stockholm University testing tunnel workers exposed to large quantities of acrylamide from a water sealant in 1997. When they found similarly high levels in the blood of workers not exposed to the sealant, they concluded that diet was responsible. Studies to date show that a minimum temperature of 120 degrees C is needed to start formation of acrylamide in foods, although 140 to 180 degrees C is optimal. "The hotter and longer you bake or fry, the more carcinogen forms," said Dr. Arnold. The carcinogen tends to attack the thyroid gland, female mammary gland, male testes, and mouth. (Organic NZ, September/October 2002, Soil & Health Association of NZ Inc., P.O. Box 36-170, Northcote, Auckland 9 or 29 Pearn Crescent, Northcote. In-, www.organicnz.pl.net.)_________________JoAnn Guest mrsjo- DietaryTi- www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Genes AIM Barleygreen "Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future" http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets.html