New research supports the link between cooking and c...( ot yet studied other types of diets....)

Scientists originally thought the main exposure to acrylamide was through tobacco smoke; early studies suggested it formed during incomplete combustion of organic matter. When researchers found unusually high levels of acrylamide in Swedish subjects who were non-smokers and not exposed to other typical sources, the Stockholm group formed their heated-food hypothesis.

In an earlier study published in an ACS journal ("Acrylamide: A Cooking Carcinogen?" Chemical Research in Toxicology, 13 (6), 517-522, 2000), they fed rats fried animal feed for one or two months. The rats exhibited a higher level of acrylamide than a control group -- an increase similar in magnitude to the high levels observed in non-smoking humans.

After learning of the Stockholm University research, the Swedish government began testing acrylamide levels early this year and confirmed that many starch-rich foods contained high levels. This led to its announcement in April.

The Stockholm University study is the first to go through the peer-review process, and it bolsters the results made public by the Swedish National Food Administration and others. It also gives detailed information about the analytical methods used to measure acrylamide levels and the evidence for the identification of acrylamide in heated foods.

"This pilot study should be regarded as a first attempt to determine acrylamide in frequently consumed foodstuffs," the authors caution. It demonstrates the need for more studies concerning the presence of acrylamide in common foods.

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Contact: Tiffany McAvoy
t_mcavoy@acs.org
202-872-6042
American Chemical Society
25-Jul-2002