Keep Your Distance from Burnt Food: Your Children Are at Risk
According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), consumption of acrylamide, a chemical compound that forms in starchy foods when cooked at high temperatures, may increase the risk of cancer in humans, especially among children.
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According to a statement from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), studies in animals have shown that acrylamide, a chemical compound that forms in starchy foods when cooked at high temperatures, can cause damage to DNA and lead to cancer, although studies examining the effect of acrylamide in humans are still inconclusive.
This means that all foods prepared by baking, frying, roasting, and industrial processing at temperatures above 120 degrees Celsius in low humidity (including cookies, crackers, chips, coffee, cookies, and bread) are common food groups that contribute to exposure to this chemical compound. According to researchers, sugars and amino acids naturally present in certain foods generate acrylamide.
Acrylamide is also used in industrial processes such as the production of plastics, paper, and dyes. Some food packaging and types of adhesives contain it.
Regarding diet, although acrylamide is present in cooked foods, researchers found that it is also present in high concentrations in breakfast cereals and black olives. "In general, it is almost impossible to completely eliminate the chemical component from the Western diet, so most consumer advice is to increase home cooking and maintain a varied diet," the agency reported.
They also added that using other cooking methods such as steaming, light frying, and boiling can reduce the presence of the harmful component. Researchers warn that in addition to colon cancer, bladder cancer, and kidney cancer, there may be harmful effects on the nervous system, the development of fetuses and infants, and fertility.