Burnt Starches May Cause Cancer
Written by Andria on January 23, 2017
The Food Standards Agency in the UK launched a marketing campaign to warn their citizens of the dangers overcooking starchy foods.
The campaign advertises links to cancer causing agents from burnt toast, over-roasted potatoes, and other starchy foods.
The link was found over 15 years ago in animals but no sufficient link was found in a human based experiment.
The issue with over cooked starchy foods comes from a compound that consistently appeared in high levels leading to an increased risk of cancer in mice called, acrylamide.
Ya know, when you’re frying potatoes and they finally reach that perfect golden hue? That is due to acrylamide. Its what makes bread and potatoes turn brown/gold when they’re baked, roasted, toasted, or fried.
When a starchy food is being cooked and it goes to from golden to black (burnt) it releases higher levels of acrylamide which can possibly further increase your cancer risk.
Burnt food is also nasty, so don’t eat it.
Unless its pegao… then I’ll take the risk.
