May 3, 2002 – A wind of panic from northern Europe has blown through the food industry since the Swedish Food Administration announced that crisps, French fries, baked potatoes, cereals for breakfast, cookies, bread, etc., could cause cancer. The news was announced recently and confirms the results of researchers at Stockholm University.
They discovered, after analyzing a hundred foods, that for those containing carbohydrates (carbohydrates), cooking forms a substance, acrylamide, which has been classified by the World Health Organization (WHO ) as “probably carcinogenic to humans” in 1994. Acrylamide is commonly used in the treatment of drinking water as well as in industry (especially to manufacture sealants) and its toxicity is recognized.1 Prolonged exposure to this substance can damage the nervous system and cause heritable genetic damage. It has also been singled out during research on Parkinson’s disease. The new study does not quantify cancer risks and does not specify the types of cancer involved. A packet of crisps would contain up to 500 times more acrylamide than is allowed in water, but the question remains whether absorption is as easy as with water.
The reactions were not long in coming since the World Health Organization (WHO) indicated that it would convene a commission of experts to verify the sayings of the researchers. For now, the WHO simply recommends reducing your consumption of fried foods and increasing that of vegetables. She has not changed her basic dietary advice and no products have been taken off the market.
Some experts remain skeptical about the importance of this study because of the very disparate concentrations that have been reported and the lack of precision. They are waiting for the publication of the results to verify their scientific rigor. For its authors, however, this represents the beginning of a series of research projects which will allow a better understanding of the effects of acrylamide contained in food on humans.
Élisabeth Mercader – PasseportSanté.net
According to InteliHealth, April 24, 2002.
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Acrylamide. [Consulté le 5 mai 2002]. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ipcsnfrn/nfrn0091.html
