Friday, March 26, 2004
By Maggie Fox, Reuters
WASHINGTON — Acrylamide, a cancer-causing substance that caused
scares when it was found in fried potatoes and other popular foods,
is also found in olives, prune juice, and teething biscuits, U.S.
regulators said Thursday.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration released figures on a new
batch of food it tested and confirmed earlier findings that suggest
cooked and especially fried snacks contain the highest levels: potato
chips, pretzels, and popcorn.
To their relief, officials found no acrylamides in infant formula
but said they would continue looking as it is a sole source of food
for so many babies.
Scientists stress that they have no idea what any of this means,
yet, for human health.
Acrylamide is naturally formed in some starchy foods when they
are fried, baked, or roasted at high temperatures. No one suspected
it was so pervasive in food until Swedish scientists announced they
had found it in 2002.
"To date, acrylamide is known to cause cancer and reproductive
problems in animals at high doses and is a neurotoxin in humans
at high doses," the FDA said in a statement. "Although
initial reports of acrylamide's presence in some foods raised concerns
because of possible links with increased risk of cancer in some
laboratory animals, it was largely unknown how pervasive it was
in the food supply and its true public health significance for humans."
The FDA added, "Based on the current understanding of the
science, FDA continues to advise consumers to eat a balanced diet,
choosing a variety of foods that are low in trans- and saturated
fat and rich in high fiber grains, fruits, and vegetables."
Trans-fats are created when fat is processed and clog the arteries
like cholesterol does.
Testing Popular Foods
To find out how much acrylamide people might be eating, the FDA
has been testing popular food products. For its latest sample the
FDA bought 750 different foods from bread to pancake syrup.
It found no acrylamide in the processed cheeses, milk, and ice
cream tested. Relatively high levels were found in arrowroot cookies
— commonly given to small children — teething biscuits, sweet potatoes,
and lower levels in some prepared meals such as turkey and vegetable
dinners. Other childhood favorites such as peanut butter and chocolate
chip cookies were also sources.
Home-cooked meats seemed acrylamide-free, but fried chicken and
fast-food chicken nuggets contained the compounds. Fresh fruits
and vegetables seemed clear, but bottled prune juice and black olives
had relatively high levels of acrylamides.
The FDA says it plans more studies on just how toxic acrylamides
may be.
In June a team at the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte,
California, found that acrylamides can mutate DNA.
Experts say the best way to find out if acrylamide causes cancer
in people is to do epidemiological studies — studies of populations
to see if people who eat more foods containing acrylamides have
higher rates of cancer.
One such study, published by U.S. and Swedish researchers in January
2003, found no link between acrylamide consumption and the risk
of bladder or kidney cancer.
But a consumer group, the Center for Science in the Public Interest,
is lobbying for limits on acrylamide in food.
Rhona Applebaum, executive vice president of the National Food
Processors Association, argued this would not be necessary.
"FDA's research on acrylamide levels in various foods is neither
a warning to consumers, nor a finding of risk associated with any
particular foods or individual brands," she said in a statement.
More FDA data can be found on the Internet at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/lrd/pestadd.html#acrylamide.
Source: Reuters
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