Do You Really Want Fries or Chips with That?

Potato chips and French fries have become a staple of the American diet. Unfortunately, the process by which potatoes are cooked into chips or fries alters their chemical structure and makes ingestion, especially in excess, dangerous. One chemical recently found in French fries that has garnished increasing attention is acrylamide.

Acrylamide is a potentially toxic chemical that forms when certain carbohydrate-rich foods (potatoes, breads and cereals in particular) are fried, baked or roasted at high temperatures. Just last month Health Canada recommended that acrylamide be placed on the toxic substances list. Although previous research has found high doses of acrylamide can cause cancer in rats, the risk to human health is relatively unknown.

In a recent study, researchers in Poland assessed the relationship between potato chips (known to contain acrylamide) with oxidative stress and inflammation.
Fourteen men and women ingested 160 g of potato chips containing 157-mg acrylamide daily for 4 weeks. Researchers evaluated free radical production and C-reactive protein in addition to other less known markers of inflammation and oxidative stress.
Researchers noted a distinct increase in the number of acrylamide-hemoglobin adducts. An "adduct" is the combination of two or more different molecules. Hemoglobin is the protein molecule that delivers oxygen to the body. An increase in acrylamide-hemoglobin adducts indicates increased toxicity in the blood. Moreover, significant elevation in all markers of oxidative stress and inflammation were found after 4 weeks.

Increases in inflammation are thought to result in the enhanced progression of atherosclerosis, in addition to many other diseases and disorders. It appears that reducing consumption of fries and chips can do more than reduce your waistline. It might save your life!

Naruszewicz, M., et al (2009) Chronic intake of potato chips in humans increases the production of reactive oxygen radicals by leukocytes and increases plasma C-reactive protein: a pilot