- February 26, 2020
- Posted by: admin
- Category: Blogs
Sweet, salty, butter, microwaved or air popped, we all have our favorite popcorn, but how does popcorn contribute to making you ill? Are some methods of cooking safer than others? Its all down to the quantity of acrylamide formed during the cooking process.
We have seen in previous issues how acrylamide is formed in our food (https://www.hazoxinc.com/cookies-hazardous-to-your-health-in-ways-you-wouldnt-think-about/), and how acrylamides can affect our health (https://www.hazoxinc.com/acrylamide-in-our-bagels/).
However, there is some good news. Research has shown that microwaved popcorn generally produces lower acrylamide levels than the traditionally heated air popped version. If you are interested in reading a summary of this research then you can find it here https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17555107. A second research paper looking at levels of acrylamide in microwaved popcorn can also be found at http://www.ifrj.upm.edu.my/24%20(05)%202017/(60).pdf.
In case you have missed our previous articles about acrylamide, how it is formed, the health effects, they can all be accessed from this link https://www.hazoxinc.com/blogs/.
Today’sarticle looks at the maximum amount of acrylamide that we should have in our diet to reduce the risk of acrylamide related health effects.
In 2010, EPA established an RfD (reference dose) for the oral intake of acrylamide. Reference doses are the amounts of daily exposure over a lifetime that can be predicted to produce no noticeable health effects. In other words, as a general rule, no adverse health effects are expected if the daily intake of a substance remains below this level.
The reference dose established for acrylamide by EPA in 2010 was 0.002 milligrams of acrylamide per kilogram of body weight per day. For a person weighing 150 pounds, this reference dose corresponds to a daily dietary exposure limit of about 140 micrograms. The EPA has estimated that an adult who weighs 150 pounds has an average daily dietary acrylamide intake of 27 micrograms, so on average, American adults get about 19% of their maximum allowable acrylamide exposure through dietary intake.
The researchers, led by Robert Tardiff of the Sapphire Group Inc. in Bethesda, Maryland, reported their findings in Food and Chemical Toxicology, after evaluating the effect of different doses in rats and humans revealed that the Tolerable Daily Intake of Acrylamide with neurotoxic effects was 40 μg/kg-day; for carcinogenic effects it was estimated at 2.6 and 16 μg/kg-day based on acrylamide or its metabolite glycidamine.
In another example, Health Canada estimates that the average adult exposure to acrylamide in food is between 0.3 and 0.4 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day, while a study in Sweden estimated the intake to be about 0.5 micrograms per kilogram of body weight. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimated the intake to be about 0.4 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day.
There are inconsistencies between the values suggested as safe by the EPA along with other government agencies and independent studies, so further research is suggested and measurement methods and models should be refined to obtain better results.
At Hazox we believe that consumers should be aware of the hazardous chemicals used in everyday products to make informed decisions before buying and consuming the items they need.
In our next article, on Thursday we will look at how the body breaks down and disposes of acrylamide.
On Friday, the article will show you how you can detox from the acrylamide in your body.
On Saturday, we will review ways of protecting ourselves from acrylamides.
In our final article, on Sunday, we will investigate healthy alternatives to foods containing acrylamide.
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