Agriculture: Main Producer Of World Cancer Epidemic

Abstract There is a growing amount of the research data confirming the cancer risk associated with cooking starchy foods at high temperatures. In a word, acrylamide is a chemical used in lots of industrial processes, including water purification, or to separation of DNA molecules in experiments. Acrylamide is also found in several foods, and is made by the Maillard reaction, which browns cooked foods (gives them their pleasing flavour). While sugars and amino acids react together, they produce many of different chemicals. Particularly high levels of acrylamide are found in starchy foods, like potatoes and bread, when cooked at temperatures over 120°C. This chemical can be also present in breakfast cereals, biscuits, coffee. In the organism, acrylamide is converted into another compound, glycidamide, which can bind to DNA and cause mutations. Animal studies clearly show that acrylamide causes all sorts of cancers. There’s no reason to think that it wouldn’t produce cancer similarly in humans too