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Showing posts with the label Heterocyclic Amines (HCAs) and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)

Can Eating Burnt Foods Causes Cancer?

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  Overcooking items including toast, roast potatoes, chips, and vegetables, according to health experts, can cause cancer . According to the Food Standards Agency, starchy foods cooked at high temperatures for too long produce acrylamide, a carcinogenic chemical. When starchy foods are cooked at high temperatures, a chemical substance called acrylamide forms. A chemical interaction between specific carbohydrates and an amino acid (asparagine) in the diet causes it to develop. When muscle meat, such as beef, pig, fish, or chicken, is cooked at high temperatures, such as pan frying or grilling directly over an open flame, compounds called heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are generated. HCAs and PAHs have been discovered to be mutagenic in laboratory trials, meaning they create changes in DNA that may raise the risk of cancer. When amino acids, carbohydrates, and creatine or creatinine (muscle-derived compounds) react at high temperatures, H...