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We all know that we should watch what we eat to make sure we keep on top of our health.
Certain foods contain ingredients, or naturally occurring chemicals that are carcinogens, which are substances that can cause cancer in living body tissue.
Cancer is now believed to affect one in every two people at some point in their lifetime, according to Cancer Research UK, so a balanced diet is important.
There are some ingredients in common foods that have been linked to cancer, and it is good to know what eating too much of these may cause us problems some way down the line.
So what common food ingredient is linked to cancer?
Common food ingredient linked to cancer
We all love a fry up, but it has never been a secret that it isn’t good for us. Fried foods, as well as other products that are high in starch, often have a relatively large amount of a chemical called acrylamide.
This chemical is found in foods like chips and crisps, as well as black olives, crackers, bread, cookies and coffee. The same chemical is found in tobacco smoke.
According to Cancer.gov: “People are exposed to substantially more acrylamide from tobacco smoke than from food. People who smoke have three to five times higher levels of acrylamide exposure markers in their blood than do non-smokers.”
How does fried food cause cancer?
The key word when thinking about this particular matter is ’cause’. Expert scientists are usually hesitant to say that things can cause cancer, but will point out links to a high level of consumption of one thing being linked to cancer.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies acrylamide as a “probable human carcinogen”, for example.
A 2020 study also said that acrylamide can damage DNA and cause the death of cells.
Over-consumption of fried food is can also increase your risk of type 2 diabetes and obesity. Both of these conditions are linked to a higher risk of cancer.
Cancer Research advises that a balanced and healthy diet is the best thing for a person.
