Posted on 04/24/2002 4:09:22 AM PDT by anguish
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Basic foods eaten by millions around the world such as bread, biscuits and french fries may have high levels of a substance that probably causes cancer, Sweden's National Food Administration said on Wednesday.
Swedish scientists at Stockholm university made the shock discovery (news - web sites) while carrying out research on the effects of cooking staple foods such as cereals, rice and potatoes, in which they found the substance acrylamide, which probably causes cancer, the administration said in a statement.
"Fried, oven-baked and deep-fried potato and cereal products may contain high levels of acrylamide, which is a probable human carcinogen," it said.
"Acrylamide is formed during the preparation of food and occurs in many foodstuffs...Many of the analyzed foodstuffs are consumed in large quantities, e.g. potato crisps, french fries, fried potatoes, biscuits and bread."
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (news - web sites) classifies acrylamide, a colorless, crystalline solid, as a medium hazard probable human carcinogen. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, acrylamide induces gene mutations and has been found in animal tests to cause benign and malignant stomach tumors.
It is also known to cause damage to the central and peripheral nervous system.
"Frying at high temperatures or for a long time should be avoided," the Swedish administration's statement said.
"The discovery that acrylamide is formed during the preparation of food, and at high levels, is new knowledge. It may now be possible to explain some of the cases of cancer caused by food," Leif Busk, head of the administration's research department, said.
We've eaten this since the beginning of time, but since we're frying almost everything these days we're increasing our input of it has increased (acrylamide is formed under high temperatures). Animals, eating grass and raw meat, don't have this problem.
Soon we'll kill ourselves as we discover that air causes cancer... Seriously though, if one has cancer in the family and is a big consumer of potato chips (extreme levels of acrylamide) or french fries, one might consider cutting down a little.
I'M GOING DOWN WITH MY FRENCH FRIES! COME AND GET ME, CANCER! I DARE YA! A MAN'S GOTTA DRAW THE LINE SOMEWHERE! ~rueful and weary smile~
Now, if you'll excuse me, I've gotta call "my" Assemblymen in Sacramento to inveigh against this Soda Pop Tax foolishness. Did I say Diet Coke, above? And won't it be exempt from the tax? Well, it's the PRINCIPLE of the thing. It's gotta be stopped now. They once said the maximum income tax would be 2 percent, didn't they?
Shameful!
Do you know of any good recipes for grass?
So, when people are praying "give us this day our daily bread....", in essence they are asking for cancer. Requesting their own doom, hmmmm.
The next major announcement from the medical research community will be they discovered that living leads to death ;-)
This will surely add fat to the fire for our 'food nazis' who are determined to find a new issue to justify their existance, which now looks to be that of 'fat'. . .whether on our hips or at our lips. . .they are making it THEIR businesss. . .hate to see what will come with this.
ITMT, one thing we DO know; and that is too much of anything, can kill you. . .
Already discovered that. Respiration leads to metabolism which produces free-radicals which damage DNA and could cause cancer.
Yeah, I try not burn my french fries too.
Do oven baking temperatures convert somethingorother into acrylamide?I saw a press conference earlier today where they listed some of the product types where acrylamine has been found, and yes, it included bread and other things made in ovens. The higher temperature and cooking time, the more acrylamine. They had done a test where they put fries in the oven and then tested them at the "minimum cooking time" and the "maximum cooking time" recomended on the package. The figures strongly indicated the relationship with cooking time. Lower temperatures also produced less of the poison.
The ultimate solution it seems - short of starving to death - is according to this preliminary study boiled food. Well, sushi should be fine too I guess :)
As a side-note - the biggest Swedish producer of potato chips has withdrawn all TV commercial today.
ROTFLMAO
Where are the ubiquitous THEY anyway? THEY're never around when you need them!
Enjoy it while it lasts, give of yourself to others, and praise God - it's all in his hands anyway.
Dihydrogen monoxide is an odorless, colorless chemical compound. It is corrosive, lethal if inhaled, and is a leading cause of erosion.
Dihydrogen monoxide has been found in 100% of all cancerous tumors. Studies have shown that the vast majority of those who died from heart failure had ingested Dihydrogen Monoxide in the 24 hours immediately prior to death.
Sadly, Dihydrogen Monoxide is largely unregulated. Even our children are exposed to this dangerous compound in their schools.
Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide...for our children's sake!
Joe Jackson
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