Healthy Food Chart

Great. Another dangerous compound in our foods to worry about.

Earlier this month, researchers released guidelines for how much acrylamide is safe to ingest. The news caught many by surprise, who hadn't even realized that they were supposed to be worried about acrylamide. Focused on avoiding BPA in their water bottles and HCAs in their grilled meats, they had no idea about the carcinogen lurking in their breakfast cereal.

What is acrylamide?

Acrylamide is a compound that forms naturally during cooking. Specifically, sugars can react with arginine (an amino acid) to create acrylamide when certain foods are roasted, baked, or fried at high temperatures. Starchy foods like potatoes and grains have the greatest potential for acrylamide production. And the higher the temperature and the longer the cooking times, the more acrylamide is likely to be formed. 

How much is safe?

At very high levels, acrylamide can cause nerve damage in humans and, based on animal studies, is a likely carcinogen as well. The guidelines released this month indicate that the amount of acrylamide in the typical diet is well below the threshold needed to cause health problems. The average intake for a 150-pound person is between 25 and 30mcg a day. According to toxicologists, you could safely ingest six or seven times that much.

It depends on how you define "safe"

But we may not all have the same "threshold" for risk. As the World Health Organization writes, "What constitutes a tolerable level of risk for acrylamide is not just a scientific question...Very low risks (even of cancer), such as those that are less than one in one million, are considered to be acceptable to some consumers. To others this is unacceptable."

Personally, I don't think acrylamide is the biggest threat in our food supply, but I can understand that people might want to reduce their exposure. The FDA has begun compiling data on the levels of acrylamide in various foods. Here is a comprehensive table of their test results. They've also put together some guidelines on reducing your acrylamide exposure. Here are some other tips for reducing your exposure from the Canadian Health Services.

The Executive Summary

If you're concerned about acrylamide, I suggest focusing on the changes that will have the biggest impact on your intake. By far, the biggest things you can do to reduce your exposure are:

1. Don't eat French fries or potato chips

2. Don't eat burned or darkly-browned toast or baked goods

3. Don't smoke (or breathe second-hand smoke)

Further Reading:  A Variety of Perspectives on Acrylamide

Acrylamide Questions and Answers (FDA)

Frequently Asked Questions about Acrylamide in Foods (WHO)

Acrylamide and Cancer Risk (National Cancer Institute)

The Low-Fact Diet: The Acrylamide Case  (2002)

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