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Acrylamide in French Fries

Human studies on whether acrylamide in baked and fried carbohydrates may be carcinogenic.

October 9, 2010 |
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Acrylamide in French Fries, 5.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating

Sources Cited

J.G. Hogervorst, L.J. Schouten, E.J. Konings, R.A. Goldbohm, & P.A. Brandt. Dietary acrylamide intake and the risk of renal cell, bladder, and prostate cancer. Am J Clin Nutr, 87(5):1428-1438, 2008.

J.G. Hogervorst, L.J. Schouten, E.J. Konings, R.A. Goldbohm, & P.A. van den Brandt. A prospective study of dietary acrylamide intake and the risk of endometrial, ovarian, and breast cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev, 16(11):2304-2314, 2007.

P.T. Olesen, A. Olsen, H. Frandsen, K. Frederiksen, K. Overvad, & A. Tjønneland. Acrylamide exposure and incidence of breast cancer among postmenopausal women in the Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health Study. Int J Cancer, 122(9):2094-2100, 2008.

F. Morales, E. Capuano, & V. Fogliano. Mitigation strategies to reduce acrylamide formation in fried potato products. Ann N Y Acad Sci, 1126:89-100, 2008.

V.E. Buck & S.A. Barringer. Factors dominating adhesion of NaCl onto potato chips. J Food Sci, 72(8):E435-441, 2007.

Acknowledgements

Transcript

So, burgers aren’t good for you, but what about the fries. Six years ago I told everyone to stop eating French fries and potato chips, tagging “acrylamide” the number one nutrition story of 2002.

Acrylamide is a neurotoxic industrial chemical used in the plastics industry, found in cigarette smoke and, in a bunch of foods. The chemical is created when you fry carbohydrates. By law, a glass of water has to have less than 0.12 millionths of a gram, and fast food French fries exceed that safety limit by 30,000%

Acrylamide has been considered a “probable human carcinogen,” based on the fact that it causes cancer in lab rats. But so does saccharin, but the reason you don’t see warning labels on Sweet & Low anymore is because it turns out that male rats have a biochemical pathway not shared by human beings that turns saccharin into a carcinogen. But you can’t even extrapolate that to female rats, forget people.

But I wanted to play it safe, so I told everyone: “Look, they’re starting human studies now, we’ll know in 5 years if this is really a problem or not; in the meanwhile, just stay away from French fries and potato chips.

Well, it’s been five years. {{{contestants up}}} For humans, who says harmful??? Harmless??? Helpful???

Acrylamide intake has now been linked to human kidney cancer, endometrial cancer, overian cancer and, breast cancer. So, keep staying away from French fries and potato chips.

This, however, remains OK.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Dianne Moore.

To help out on the site please email volunteer@nutritionfacts.org

Dr. Michael Greger

Doctor's Note

  • Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on carcinogens. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!

For some context, please check out my associated blog posts: Breast Cancer and Diet and Soymilk: shake it up

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/mgreger/ Michael Greger M.D.

    Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on carcinogens. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/JackieSchneiderman/ Jackie Schneiderman

    The acrylamide “forming” from frying potatoes is more likely being *released* as a result of the Monsanto glyphosate herbicide cocktail (aka Roundup, containing reactive polyacrylamide) being applied to potato crops.
    http://www.i-sis.org.uk/acrylamide.php

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/david-tunison/ David tunison

    I have followed your facts since meeting you in Ann arbor michigans food co-op years ago. My wife and I eat only organic,are almost vegans. My wife eats free range organic eggs.I don’t,but do eat honey and take bee pollen in my smoothies.We juice,use a BLEND TEC eat raw a lot. question is, do organic “eggs” cause the same problems as commercial eggs? Should she be eating these? She has had a hysterectomy from ovarian cancer ten years ago.My email is Healthandsuccess2003@yahoo.com
    Thank you

    • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/toxins/ Toxins

      Hello David,
      I don’t know if Dr. Greger has emailed you yet, and I am assuming you would rather hear a response from him over myself, but I believe I can help you.
      Firstly, lets talk about your wife’s egg consumption.
      Eggs have been proven over and over again to be more harmful then we think http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/is-one-egg-a-day-too-much/ We see that one egg is above the upper safety limit of cholesterol for the day http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/egg-cholesterol-in-the-diet/ and we also see that eggs contain very high amounts of arachidonic acid encouraging inflammation http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/chicken-eggs-and-inflammation/ Regardless of whether the egg is organic or not and is free of contaminants, these facts will not change. According to Dr. T. Colin Campbell, the difference in compositional makeup between organic and conventional animal products is subtle and near insignificant.

      Now regarding honey and bee pollen. Honey is a particularly non nutritious sweetener contrary to popular belief, you can view the video here regarding the healthiest sweetener. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/the-healthiest-sweetener/ Now for bee pollen, there is actually very little evidence supporting bee pollen. In this study it showed to lower cholesterol in overweight and obese people. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21961335 Nonetheless, a plant based diet can do the same. It might contain some vitamins and minerals but this food is not necessary for good health. Eating a wide range of plant foods satisfies your micro nutrient needs of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals.
      Now regarding juicing, if you like to drink your fruits/veggies, blending them up is a far better choice over juicing. When you juice a fruit or vegetable you lose 90% of the nutrients in whats left over! Not only that, but it takes 3 oranges to make a cup of orange juice and its still not nutritionally equivalent to 1 single plain orange. Check out Dr. Greger’s video on juices http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/fruit-juice-fail/
      I hope I was of use!

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/becochic/ becochic

    What about homemade baked potato fries? I find this info sketchy, considering that people have been baking things like potatoes and bread at hot temperatures in ovens for thousands of years.

    • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/toxins/ Toxins

      Hello becochic!
      Yes, it seems as though people have been baking bread for years but you must know that bread doesn’t create as much acrylamide as do potatoes. Also, with bread, it is only the crust that is affected with acrylamide while the entire potato, when overcooked, will produce acrylamide, and in much greater quantities. White potatoes are not healthy as shown in this video by Dr. Greger regardless of acrylamide http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/is-white-bread-good-for-you/ Regarding what temperatures that acrylamide forms, when you cook something at 248 degrees Fahrenheit or over, acrylamide will form. The safest cooking method is with boiling or steaming which both only reach a maximum of 212 degrees Fahrenheit. Pressure cooking will over step the safe cooking level and cooks at 250 degrees Fahrenheit. For more on acrylamide information, check out Dr. McDougal’s newsletter all about this subject. http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2005nl/june/050600acrylamide.htm

      If you can cook bake your potato fries, without oil and using a more nutrient dense potato, under 248 degrees you will be ok. Hope this helps!

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/chewy/ chewy

    are whole grain brown rice cakes and plain organic puffed rice(whole grain brown rice only ingredient) dangerous to eat?full of acrylamides?

    • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/kylee/ KyLee

      Plain organic puffed rice is certainly one of the safer foods you could consume. Puffed grain cakes are usually created by putting moist rice under high pressure and heat. This would suggest little in the way of Acrylamides since there is no “browning” occurring. Still worried? Just don’t over indulge and make sure you enjoy a well balanced diet rich in antioxidants. Check out videos on rice here: http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/rice/

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/chewy/ chewy

    are baked potatoes dangerous baked at 350 for an hour?

    • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/lucas/ Lucas

      Anytime a food is browned, acrylamides are formed. The darker the browning the higher acrylamide content of the food. This seems to be most pronounced in high complex carbohydrate foods such as potatoes, cereals and grains. Although the carcinogenicity of acrylamides remains controversial, the heterocyclic amines in grilled chicken, for example, have been more definitively associated with cancer (see http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/carcinogens-in-roasted-chicken/ for example).

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/lannybugz/ Lannybugz

    I always chose chicken because of what I read about other meats, aside from the chemicals. What do you advise people to eat if meat is cancer causing? Like the video said we can’t under cook it and it’s bad to cool it.

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/82rose/ 82rose

    It seems the only safe diet is a raw, vegan diet that eliminates all cancer, cholesterol, heart attack and diabetes forming food.

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/barbarah/ BarbaraH

    82rose – Doesn’t have to be raw. Steaming maintains the temperature of food at a constant 212 degrees Fahrenheit. http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/healthy-food-the-cold-truth-about-raw-food-diets.html.

    Barbara

  • Michael Greger M.D.

    Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Breast Cancer and Diet!

  • Tonya Sneed

    Dr. Greger – I have been trying to find the video on which you stated that eating meat just once a week doubles one’s risk of cancer, but have had no success in locating it.  Could you point me to the link?  Thanks so much.  Really, thanks for all you do.  Your work is phenomenal.

  • http://www.facebook.com/lauren.r.ard Lauren Rae Layton Ard

    I have been avidly browsing this website for a few months now, gradually changing my diet and loving most of the changes. When my husband and I go out to eat (we do this once a week) he will stick to his burgers (not converted yet) and now I would get a salad and fries – wonderfully plant based. But, now you are telling me all I can have is the salad!! Aaargh, I know it’s important to my health and all that, but can’t a girl have ANY treats??

    • Toxins

      Eating fried foods in general is harmful and does not protect you against heart disease in addition to the acrylamide exposure. Eating out is a difficult task. I would try to find a restaurant that’s in your area that suits your diet more. If i am at a non-vegan friendly place, I will either get a mix of sides that suit my diet or I will ask if the chef can make me some sort of custom meal with certain ingredients.

      • http://nutrientuniverse.blogspot.co.uk/ JamesKB

        Use the information how you like. 1 bad meal every 21 meals (a week)isn’t going do to much harm I wouldn’t think. Some people are more sensitive than others of course.

  • Marie

    How about acrylamide in prunes. My 5-year-old and I eat about 5 prunes a day – we swapped to prunes from Miralax (him) and Metamucil (me) after I watched some of your videos. I’ve started to see thing pop up about high levels of acrylamide in prunes. What have you found about this? How concerned/careful should I be?

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