Do baked and fried foods cause cancer? Disturbing reports say baking and frying may produce cancer-causing chemicals - Diet and Nutrition / News and Notes - Brief Article

ALMOST EVERYONE FRIES AND bakes food. But now these two cooking methods have health agencies worldwide concerned. A recent Swedish report found that when Starchy foods (like flour and potatoes) are baked or fried at high temperatures they produce the carcinogenic chemical acrylamide. Prolonged exposure to acrylamide has been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals and may do the same in humans. Follow-up reports from five other countries, including the United States, found alarmingly high levels of acrylamide in many baked and fried foods.

Because Americans consume high volumes of baked and fried starchy foods, the FDA has launched a yearlong investigation of more than 600 foods to find out how, and at what temperatures, acrylamide forms and how to reduce levels. In the meantime, to lower your daily intake of this potentially dangerous chemical, the American Dietetic Association advises you to reduce your consumption of starchy baked foods and starchy fried foods, and eat more fruits and vegetables.