Science in the news

‘Burnt foods’ linked to cancers

In this article it has some evidence about how acrylamide intake does cause
cancer. Dutch researchers carried out a quiz involving 120,000 people on their eating
habits; the results they got showed them those women who had a larger intake of
acrylamide appeared more at risk. However UK experts said not to panic because it
could be other factors to blame such as being overweight, dieting, alcohol,
contraceptive pills, diabetes and high blood pressure. This could be a reliable source
as it is more local than Dutch researchers. In the Dutch study 62,000 women were
quizzed and after 11 years results show that 627 of them had cancer that is only
approximately 3 percent. The food standard agency (FSA) urge people to eat a
balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, as acrylamide cannot be avoided.
This is a reliable source as it is from a well-known food agency.

Mystery over food cancer chemical

In this article there has been many research done by different people about the
chemical acrylamide. This article shows that after the Swedish researchers found
acrylamide in foods the food standard agency did some urgent checks and their
findings showed that they were right. The food standard agency found that the
chemical was not found in uncooked or boiled foods. However in fried chips, crisps
and toasted breakfast cereals contained acrylamide so if you fry or bake it contains
acrylamide. Also smoking is another way of how you are exposed to the chemical. Dr
Andrew Wadge from the food standard agency said that everyone is exposed to the
chemicals that make up the food we eat. Also he says that these chemicals have been
in the food for generations and are not some new chemicals, which would kill
everyone. Also the FSA say that further research is needed. In addition the FSA says
not to panic by hearing this news and to just continue eating like usual. This is very
trustworthy information as it is from a reliable source and is local.

Food Standard Agency Acrylamide

This article was from a reliable source it came from the food standard agency
it says that in April 2002, Swedish researchers found large amounts of acrylamide in
foods rich in starch, which has been cooked at high temperatures. It is also known to
cause cancer in animals and its presence in some foods may harm people’s health this
is some reliable information because in each article the food standard agency comes
to the same point in different ways. The agency is researching on acrylamide’s affects
more locally as people in different countries have different lifestyles and eating
habits. It is investigating acrylamide in UK diets, how it is formed and how it can be
reduced to stop the risk of causing cancer. Meanwhile the agency is asking everyone
to eat healthy and to stay away from food, which is fried or baked. This may come
from a reliable source but it is from a period of time much earlier than most articles
that’s why it still has not got enough research as it is in 2002. Other articles know
how acrylamide is formed but this is much earlier when research had just started.
Cooking chemical no cancer risk

In this article it says that researchers from Harvard school of public health in
Cambridge and Karolinska institute found that women who ate more of the foods
containing acrylamide were at no higher risk. The World Health Organisation (WHO)
carried out some experiments and the results have been that it is cancer causing.
However the experiment was done on rats and the acrylamide levels were 1,000 to
100,000 times greater than levels humans are exposed to through diet, also they are
not humans so they would probably have a different effect to acrylamide. Swedish
women’s lifestyle and health cohort studied women in 1991 and were asked about
their diets then in 2002 it was found that 667 of them had cancer. On the other hand it
was found that women who had the least daily acrylamide intake had no higher risk
than those whose intake was higher.