A new study has found that a chemical found in some breakfast foods might be dangerous. Researchers discovered that acrylamide, which is created when food is cooked, could increase the risk of having a heart attack or stroke by as much as 60%. This has made people worried about what they eat for breakfast.
Spanish researchers looked at information from more than 100,000 people in many studies since 2007. They published their results in the Nutrients journal, showing that eating acrylamide is linked to a greater chance of heart problems and deaths from issues like heart attacks and strokes.
What Is Acrylamide?
Acrylamide is a chemical found in breakfast foods that forms when starchy items, like bread and potatoes, are cooked at high temperatures through methods like baking, frying, or roasting. Foods that are burnt, like very toasted bread, have especially high amounts of acrylamide, which is a worry for those who eat toast regularly for breakfast.
The research showed that eating foods with more acrylamide can raise the chance of dying from heart problems by 33% to 66%. This risk is even higher for people who are more likely to get type 2 diabetes, with an increase of up to 84% in the risk of dying from heart-related issues.
How Much Acrylamide Is in Your Food?
Professor Oliver Jones from RMIT University mentioned that a typical slice of toast has about 4.8 micrograms of acrylamide. In the studies looked at, people consumed between 32.6 and 57 micrograms of acrylamide each day, and those who had higher amounts were more likely to face heart problems.
Acrylamide isn’t just found in super processed snacks; it can also be in meals you make at home or order from restaurants, even if you use modern cooking methods like air frying. Because of this, the food industry is really focused on finding ways to lower acrylamide levels.
Ways to Cut Down on Acrylamide
To keep acrylamide levels low, experts say you should steer clear of foods that are burnt or too brown. The NHS recommends that when you toast bread or fry potatoes, you should aim for a “golden yellow” color.
Sir David Spiegelhalter from Cambridge University wants to reassure everyone that eating acrylamide in small amounts is usually not harmful right away. He mentioned that you would have to eat 160 burnt slices of toast every day to really feel the effects. Still, it’s a good idea to follow the guidelines to keep your exposure low.
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