Why You Should Avoid Eating Burned Foods And Acrylamide Exposure

Some people like raw food, while some others love burned food. These people like the way burned food tastes better due to stronger flavor and it also looks really well done instead of having the reddish color of half-done meat. However, whether it is burned toast or burned chicken meats, burned foods have several dangerous chemical substances that might be harmful towards your health.

 

Burned Foods and Cancer Risk
There is an old belief that eating burned food might increase the risk of cancer. In fact, it is true because it based on a Dutch experiment and study in 2007, which

shows that fried, grilled, or baked foods which burned will form a chemical substance called acrylamide. Consumption of the substance more than 40 micrograms could at least double the risk of having cancer for woman. The study which involved 120,000 people with half of the sample are women, draws a link between acrylamide consumption with the risk of ovarian or womb cancer. This substance is actually used at the manufacturing phase of paper and plastic, but could also formed by contribution of amino acid named asparagine whenever we overcook foods at a high temperature.

 

How to Avoid Acrylamide in Foods
It

should be noted down that the percentage of acrylamide on processed foods are usually higher than self-prepared foods. You could also lower down your acrylamide consumption by doing appropriate process of frying foods so you won’t overcook them. Wash vegetables before you cook them and take off the skin on meats that you cook are two effective ways to reduce acrylamide consumption.

 

Aside of acrylamide, burned foods also contain heterocyclic amines or HCAs, especially on grilled ones. Heterocyclic amines are the substances which could cause cancer in animals even though full effects of these substances on humans are still unknown.
In conclusion, you should avoid eating burned foods whenever possible. If you don’t want to waste any food, then prepare the cooking process carefully. Put a timer in your kitchen if needed, because it will remind you to rescue your foods before they get burned.

 

References:
The Telegraph: Study finds acrylamide link to cancer in women
MNN: Is eating burned food bad for you?