University of Virginia Health System

Substance in Fried Foods May Not Be a Risk for Breast Cancer

There appears to be little or no link between breast cancer and acrylamide, a substance found in many baked and fried foods, say researchers at an American Chemical Society (ACS) meeting.

"We probably couldn't rule out that eating very high levels of acrylamide is associated with a very, very small increase in risk," Mucci says. "But in terms of it being an important public health risk factor for breast cancer, I don't think acrylamide is a major risk factor."

Acrylamide Forms During Cooking Process

Mucci’s study is one of 40 studies exploring possible associations between acrylamide and cancer.

The substance forms naturally during the cooking process of mostly carbohydrate-rich foods such as potato chips, french fries, breads, cereals and coffee.

Even though the data on human health has remained unclear, food safety authorities in Europe have started to curb acrylamide in foods.

According to the study authors, about 30 percent of calories consumed in the U.S. and Europe contain acrylamide. The average adult consumption is 0.5 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day. Children consume higher levels.

For the current study, Mucci and her colleagues followed a group of 100,000 U.S. nurses for 20 years. Participants periodically answered questionnaires about their dietary habits. This information was used to estimate daily acrylamide intake, which was then correlated with breast cancer incidence.

The result: The incidence of breast cancer among women with a high acrylamide intake was about the same as women with low intake.

That corresponds with findings from a previous study (also by Mucci) of Swedish women that also showed no association between dietary acrylamide and risk of breast cancer. The largest source of dietary acrylamide in U.S. women is french fries, while in Swedish women it is coffee.

A third study, conducted in Italy, also found no link.

"At the moment, I don't think there is any clear connection between acrylamide and breast cancer," says Shiuan Chen, Ph.D., of City of Hope Cancer Center in California.

Avoid Fried Foods to Prevent Obesity

Robert Tardiff, Ph.D., an adviser to the Food Products Association, says, "I thought the results were gratifying."

"Here is an example of a situation which caused a great deal of concern based on laboratory studies, and now we have a reasonably definitive study showing that there's no link between acrylamide consumption and breast cancer," says Tardiff. "So, that's great."

The association between acrylamide and breast cancer found in animal studies could be explained by the high levels of acrylamide they consumed or by differences in how acrylamide is metabolized in the body, the experts say.

This is not likely to close the door on research into acrylamide, however.

"The food industry has been spending a lot of time and research on how to avoid acrylamide formation in food, and toxicologists are still very interested in looking at acrylamide," explains Mucci.

"There's also a new animal study with rats and mice looking at very high levels of acrylamide and cancer risk," she says. "There's been concern whether acrylamide could have some impact on hormonal levels, so we would want to look at endometrial and ovarian cancer, because they are hormone driven."

"One of the issues that we are working on, and that we think is particularly promising, is that there is significant detoxification of acrylamide quickly [in the human body], so it is no longer available at the levels we found in food," Tardiff adds. "That research will be finished in the next couple of months."

Mucci also presented data at the ACS meeting on prostate cancer and acrylamide, where she reported no link.

But cancer is not the only reason to avoid certain foods.

"We want to think about our overall health, and there are a lot of reasons to have a low-fat diet and maintain a healthy weight," Mucci says. "Obesity is a risk factor for so many diseases. Eat a sensible diet, don't eat too much of one thing. If you get a diverse diet, you're probably going to be protecting yourself."

"Environmental exposures have a lot of influence on cancer, including breast cancer, and that includes diet," Chen adds. "Diversify your diet. Eating french fries once in awhile is probably OK, but not three times a day."

Carole Havrila, R.D., the University of Virginia Cancer Center's Registered Dietitian, notes that you're exposed to acrylamide through cigarette smoke and foods such as cookies, baked goods and crackers - which are all high in saturated and trans fat, salt and calories.

Those foods should be avoided by people with heart disease, diabetes and obesity and eaten only occasionally by everyone else, she says.

"Everything in moderation is appropriate," she says.

The best diet for reducing your cancer risk, Havrila says, is a plant-based diet featuring lots of fruits and vegetables.

To read a patient story, learn more about cancer and nutrition, get additional information on breast cancer treatment or learn about UVA's Breast Care Program, visit www.uvahealth.com. 

UVA also offers a free, confidential risk assesment through the region's only High Risk Care program to determine if you have a higher-than-normal personal risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer. This free service is particularly encouraged for women with a strong family history of breast or ovarian cancer. To arrange the free screening, call 434-982-0808.

Women can learn more about their unique risks for heart disease - and how to better manage those risks - through Live Red, a new UVA heart-health initiative. You'll learn how heart attack symptoms can be different for women than for men, and you can take an online risk assessment to learn your personal heart disease risk factors.

There, you can sign up for Club Red, our free heart-healthy club for women. Benefits include tips from UVA healthcare providers and a gift package that includes a heart-healthy cookbook and tote to help you live red in style.

Always consult your physician for more information.