It is very likely that we retain, perhaps without realizing it, some of the habits that we learned from adults when we were young. One of them is “Do not eat burnt food”.
On top of the watermelon, tostao wine, watermelon, cold water. Do not lick food from a knife and do not eat burnt food. Who among us has not heard these phrases?
These and other bizarre customs, passed from mouth to mouth for decades, usually originate somewhere in between Just common sense and superstitionAnd it appeared before any discovery that gives it a scientific basis.
This is the case for the idea that Burnt food should not be eatenIn 2002, a team of scientists from Stockholm University in Sweden analyzed the issue and concluded that: It would probably be wiser to get rid of the burnt parts of the morning toast.
In the context of StadyScientists have discovered that when we heat certain foods — including potatoes, bread, crackers, cereal and coffee — more than 120 degrees CelsiusThe sugar in food reacts with the amino acid asparagine, forming a substance called acrylamide.
This process is known as Maillard reactionresulting in foods becoming distinctively brown and acquiring a distinctive “burnt thing” flavour.
acrylamide, It is also ingested through tobaccoa carcinogen in animals, even at doses much higher than those found in human food, and according to the European Food Safety Authority, May increase the risk of cancer In humans, especially in children.
But researchers have in recent years studied the effects of acrylamide on humans We still haven’t come to a conclusion Conclusive about its ability to cause cancer.
Inconclusive data
“nearly 30 years after it was classified as”Possible human carcinogen‘, evidence of its actual carcinogenic potential in humans Still inconsistent“, He says BBC the teacher Fatima SalehResearcher at Beirut Arab University, Lebanon.
“If we continue with further studies in humans, we may have appropriate data to change the classification of acrylamide to A human carcinogenadds the researcher.
What scientists know for sure is that Acrylamide is a neurotoxin For humans, which means that It can affect the nervous system.
The exact cause of this toxicity is still not fully understood, but one theory is that acrylamide attacks structural proteins in neurons, Inhibit anti-inflammatory systems that protect nerve cells from damage.
That has already been proven The toxic effects of acrylamide are cumulative. This means that consuming small amounts of acrylamide over a long period of time may increase the risk of some heart problems The organs are damaged.
More specifically, evidence from animal studies suggests that long-term exposure to acrylamide in food may also increase the risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia.
It may also be associated with acrylamide growth disorders Neuroticism in children, he explains Federica LagozziProfessor of Nutrition and Cardiovascular Epidemiology at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.
“Acrylamide crosses all tissuesincluding the placenta, because it has a low molecular weight and is soluble in water,” explains Lagozzi.
researcher Established a relationship between higher income of acrylamide by pregnant women and Low weight and head circumference and the length of children at birth.
The potential mechanism by which acrylamide increases the risk of cancer in humans is still unknown. But the second Leo Scuttina professor of epidemiology at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, there is a theory that could explain this.
After Swedish scientists discovered acrylamide in human food in 2002, the Dutch Food Authority asked Schouten to investigate. Whether acrylamide in food poses a risk for humans.
Then Scotten and his colleagues tried to formulate an estimate of the amount of acrylamide that people consumed based on a questionnaire.
The researchers found that the difference between subjects with high and low exposure in a group of Dutch elderly people could be mainly explained by a famous product in holland,OntPageQuick“a kind of “breakfast cake”.
a OntPageQuick that it Very rich in acrylamideBecause of the use of sodium bicarbonate in its production.
Schouten’s team investigated the possible relationship between acrylamide intake by non-smokers and all types of cancer, and found a higher risk of Ovarian and uterine cancer In women with a high level of acrylamide.
In addition, in other studies they found a slight relationship between acrylamide intake and Kidney cancer. But these discoveries Still awaiting confirmation by other researchers.
like him, Other causes cannot already be ruled out To explain this relationship – eg, an association between intake of high levels of acrylamide and others lifestyle choices It increases the risk of cancer.
Meanwhile, other studies found no association between cancer and acrylamide, or found a weaker link — making it unclear whether the association Scotten found was incorrect or whether other studies failed to accurately measure acrylamide intake.
“Acrylamide can affect estrogen or progesterone, which explains female cancer, however There is still no strong evidence“says the professor.
Laboratory studies on mice Also found links between acrylamide intake and cancer in the mammary glands, thyroid gland, testicles, and uterus, which also indicates a hormonal process. But that Does not mean Essentially, the risks are similar in humans.
one of The biggest challenge is measuring accurately How much acrylamide we consume.
“Most of the epidemiological studies are done with acrylamide ingestion measured through questionnaires About food that is based on people’s reports, which May interfere with resultsFederica Laguzzi explains.
Acrylamide has already been measured by biomarkers in US studies, but only recently. A 2022 study, using a decade of data, showed a link between acrylamide intake and cancer deaths, but It is not possible to deduce any type of disease.
One reason why there is no conclusive evidence that levels of acrylamide in the diet can increase the risk of cancer is that we can suffer Protective measures on the body limit the risks Bigger due to eating burnt fries at the end.
According to Lagozzi, who in his research found no relationship between the risk of non-gynecological cancers and acrylamide intake, the reason may be that humans have Good regeneration mechanisms To help prevent carcinogenic and neurotoxic effects.
“Besides, we don’t eat acrylamide per se,” Lagozzi stresses. “It’s in food, where it can be, too Other ingredients, such as antioxidants, which may help prevent toxic mechanisms. “
reduce acrylamide
Although there are no strong results showing the risks of ingesting acrylamide to humans, The food industry is taking action to reduce the substance in their products.
“The European Union sets maximum levels allowed for acrylamide in food,” he says. Nigel Halforda researcher at Rothamsted Research, an agricultural scientific research institute in the UK, whose research helps farmers reduce the potential for acrylamide formation in wheat products.
Producers have been encouraged to reduce the acrylamide content in their products as much as possible, especially in baby foods.
There are also ways Reduce acrylamide content at homeWhile preparing food, Fatima Saleh explains. For example, dipping diced potatoes hot water for 10 minutes Before frying can reduce the formation of acrylamide by about 90%.
Federica Laguzzi notes that scientific interest in the health risks of acrylamide has increased in recent years. “It’s going to be a long process, but I’m hopeful that, over time, the potential connection between acrylamide intake and cancer risk Be clearersays the researcher.
Until then, it was a famous custom Scrape away the burnt pieces of your toast may not be such a bad idea.
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