Fluffy roast potatoes 'pose cancer risk'
As reported in Pulse online:
The top health news story of the day is the Food Standards Agency’s warning that acrylamide poses a cancer risk - with the media reporting that this could include toast and well cooked roast potatoes.
The BBC reports that the Food Standards Agency is not clear exactly how much acrylamide can be tolerated - however, it does believe that we are eating too much of it. So it says people should aim for a light golden colour when cooking starchy foods such as bread and potatoes, as acrylamide is produced when starchy foods are roasted, fried or grilled for too long at high temperatures.
However, there is debate how dangerous acrylamide really is. David Spiegelhalter, professor for the public understanding of risk at Cambridge University, told the BBC: ’Even adults with the highest consumption of acrylamide would need to consume 160 times as much to reach a level that might cause increased tumours in rats.’
Source: www.pulsetoday.co.uk/news/live-blogs/gpnews-fluffy-roast-potatoes-pose-cancer-risk/20033689.article
