How Acrylamide Affects Your Diet And How To Avoid It
When food is cooked at a very high temperature, a toxic substance called acrylamide appears. Here we tell you how it affects your body and how you can prevent it.
We all love fried, baked, or broiled foods. However, when food is subjected to high temperatures, acrylamide can appear.
It is a poisonous substance that is formed when foods containing simple carbohydrates and the amino acid asparagine are cooked at high temperatures of 121 ° C.
The European Food Safety Agency has stated that acrylamide in food is potentially carcinogenic, genotoxic, neurotoxic and cytotoxic. In other words, it can damage the genetic material of cells and neurons. In addition, the World Health Organization (WHO) has considered acrylamide to be a probable carcinogen.
Where is acrylamide found?
It is believed that the darker the food cooked at a high temperature, the worse the exposure to this potentially dangerous compound.
However, small amounts of acrylamide are not as bad as you might think. In fact, it is used in water treatment. However, it must be strictly regulated to avoid contamination.
It’s not that hard to change your eating habits. When in doubt, we recommend that you gradually adjust your diet in the best possible way to avoid potential dangers. For this, you can consult a nutrition specialist.
How to avoid ingesting acrylamide?
There are several ways to minimize the consumption of this substance in foods exposed to high temperatures:
- Consume foods rich in nutrients, vitamins and minerals to resist exposure to acrylamide: however, it is similarly indicated to moderate the consumption of products containing the indicated compound
- Avoid bad cooking: in other words, do not cook potatoes, bread, meat or other foods for too long, as this can promote the creation of acrylamide
- Moderate your cigarette consumption: there is a dose of this substance which, combined with the components of tobacco and caffeine, causes poorer results for the body.
- Try to eat traditionally: eat more steamed foods. Thus, you will control the consumption of acrylamide
- Reduce cooking time: cook your food for less time and at lower temperatures. It will decrease acrylamide levels
- Avoid over-toasting bread, as the American Cancer Society has confirmed in recent research that its brown crust contains high concentrations of this substance.
We recommend that you consume tea as it is loaded with polyphenols. The same is true of red wine, because it has a high load of resveratrol, and garlic, which contains a high dose of diallyl trisulfide. All of these components are positive for the fight against the above-mentioned substance.
The consequences of high acrylamide consumption
1. Ovarian and breast cancer
A study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology noted that women who ate one serving of fried snacks per day were twice as likely to develop ovarian and endometrial cancer as women who did not eat foods containing this substance.
On the other hand, women who consume more acrylamide have up to 47% more risk of developing breast cancer.
2. Alzheimer’s disease
3. Heart problems
Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that acrylamide causes alterations in pathologies related to heart disease.
This is why it is so important to maintain a balanced diet. If you have any doubts and are worried about your health, consulting a professional will always be the best option.
