An ancient 'superfood' sent from heaven
With increased scientific interest, however, we will eventually get there, and in the meantime it may be an idea to avoid those burnt sausages wherever possible.
Sources: (BBC) (Runner's World)
See also: Foods you should never eat raw
There is a long way to go in the quest to understand the exact relationship between acrylamide intake and cancer risk.
When making fries, for example, soaking the cut potatoes in hot water for 10 minutes can reduce their acrylamide formation by as much as 90%.
Wheat grain also appears to accumulate even more asparagine when it does not get all the nutrients it needs; a process that researchers are trying to stop using a gene editing technique.
According to Fatima Saleh, associate professor of medical laboratory sciences at Beirut Arab University in Lebanon, there are also ways to reduce acrylamide levels when cooking at home.
At the other end of the supply chain, certain food producers have been able to reduce the levels of acrylamide in their products with quite some success.
Asparagine, the substance that turns into acrylamide when heated, is found in plants, and wheat grain in particular accumulates much more asparagine than is necessary.
That said, they nonetheless supported efforts to reduce acrylamide levels in food. As a result, key players in the food industry are taking measures to reduce acrylamide in our food.
At one end of the supply chain, resources are being deployed to help farmers reduce the potential for acrylamide to form in products made from wheat.
In 2010, the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives suggested that more long-term studies are needed before we can draw any conclusions about the link between acrylamide and cancer.
There was one study in the Netherlands that found a higher risk of endometrial and ovarian cancers in women with a higher exposure to acrylamide.
After 30 years of being classified as a "probable human carcinogen," however, there is still inconsistent evidence that acrylamide causes cancer in humans.
According to the European Food Safety Authority, acrylamide could increase the risk of humans developing cancer, particularly in children.
These findings are yet to be confirmed by any other researchers, however, and it is not yet clear whether what the Dutch scientists found was correct.
While scientists are certain that acrylamide can be carcinogenic in animals, this is only in doses much higher than would ever be found in human food.
Indeed, your parents may have told you to scrape off those burnt bits of toast because they have carcinogenic properties.
Dietary acrylamide may also be associated with neurodevelopmental disorders in children, according to assistant professor Federica Laguzzi at the Karolinska Institute, Sweden.
Laguzzi has found a link between higher acrylamide intake in pregnant women and an increased risk of low birth weight, head circumference, and length of newborn babies.
This means that consuming acrylamide can negatively affect the nervous system, although scientists are not exactly sure how or why.
There are theories that acrylamide may attack the structural proteins within nerve cells, or that it may inhibit the anti-inflammatory systems that protect the nerve cells from damage.
There is also evidence from animal studies that suggests long-term exposure to acrylamide in the diet can increase the risk of neurodegenerative disease, such as dementia.
Perhaps the most talked about repercussion of eating burnt food, however, is an increased risk of cancer.
Indeed, we all have eating habits that we learnt from our parents, some so lacking in reason that they may be deemed superstition.
In 2002, scientists at the University of Stockholm discovered that when we heat certain foods, including potatoes, bread, and biscuits, to more than 120°C, a substance called acrylamide forms.
Acrylamide is thought to be dangerous to humans in a number of ways. Firstly, and scientists are certain of this, acrylamide is neurotoxic to humans.
If you are in the habit of scraping the burnt bits off your toast, it’s probably because your parents taught you to do so when you were a kid.
When it comes to removing burnt bits of food, however, your parents may well have been on to something.
The notion that burnt food is bad for us is familiar to most people. Despite not tasting great, you've probably heard that eating overcooked food has possible health repercussions. The most cited risk associated with eating burnt food is that it causes cancer. As it stands, however, further research is needed to determine whether this is true. Nonetheless, scientists are sure that burnt food is bad for other reasons.
Curious? Check out this gallery to read up on what they have to say on the matter.
Is burnt food actually bad for us?
Busting the myths about burnt food (or not)
FOOD Curiosities
The notion that burnt food is bad for us is familiar to most people. Despite not tasting great, you've probably heard that eating overcooked food has possible health repercussions. The most cited risk associated with eating burnt food is that it causes cancer. As it stands, however, further research is needed to determine whether this is true. Nonetheless, scientists are sure that burnt food is bad for other reasons.
Curious? Check out this gallery to read up on what they have to say on the matter.