Just when you thought it was safe to grab some munchies in the cupboard, a new study warns of cancer in cans and bags—in cans of Pringles and in bags of a myriad of other potato chips. This disturbing truth about an all-time favorite snack may be forcing food manufacturers to change their processing methods. But can the changes really make a difference? Researchers find that potato chips, among other processed foods, are loaded with the cancer causing chemical, acrylamide (uh-kril-uh-mahyd). The substance forms when carbohydrate-rich foods are cooked at very high temperatures. Some of the worst offenders—Pringles and other potato chips and French fries. Federal regulations limit acrylamide in drinking water to just over one-tenth micrograms per 8-ounce glass. However, a six-ounce serving of French fries can contain 60 micrograms of acrylamide. Thats about FIVE HUNDRED times over the allowable limit. Scientists find the amount in potato chips is even more staggering. In some cases, more than NINE HUNDRED times over the legal limit. Such studies prompted the state of California to sue potato chip makers in 2005, citing a failure to warn consumers about the health risks of acrylamide in their products. The Frito-Lay company and several other potato chip manufacturers agreed to a settlement in 2008. The companies pledged to reduce the acrylamide levels in their chips to 275 parts-per-billion by 2011, which is low enough to avoid needing a cancer warning label. But the jury is still out on whether or not manufacturers have truly reached the requirements. A major challenge lies in how the food is made. Since acrylamide is not intentionally added, but rather a byproduct of cooking or processing at temperatures above 212-degrees Fahrenheit, researchers believe that changes in the current manufacturing methods would reduce acrylamide intake by no more than 40 percent . This brings the question--have potato chip makers really succeeded in reducing acrylamide levels to within legal limits? That data has yet to be updated. However researchers do issue another warning—baked potato chips may be worse for you than fried. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration found acrylamide levels in baked chips may be at more than three times the level of acrylamide as regular chips! This comes as name brands such as Pringles and companies like Frito Lay advertise so-called healthier baked varieties of their products. In fact, research suggests that baking processed potatoes at high temperatures may be one of the worst ways to cook them. FDA findings on the name brand Ore Ida may prove the point. A study shows Ore Ida Golden Fries contain about 107 parts-per-billion of acrylamide in the regular fried variety, but the baked version contains nearly 11-HUNDRED parts-per-billion. And if that were not enough, published research also shows dozens more potential toxins form when processed food is heated to high temperatures. In the study published in 2007, scientists concluded that consumers are far less likely to ingest dangerous levels of acrylamide and other carcinogens when eating home-cooked foods compared to industrially-prepared snacks. Still, some potato chip manufacturers are working to improve the image of their products. By the end of 2011, about half of Pepsis Frito-Lay brand snacks will be reformulated with all-natural ingredients. The switch is part of PepsiCos master plan to tap into the healthy foods market share. The Wall Street Journal recently reported the company hopes to boost their nutrition business from $10 billion dollars to $30 billion dollars by 2020. Some 60 Frito-Lay brand snacks are scheduled for an all-natural makeover, with the company removing monosodium glutamate—also known as MSG—and replacing it with natural seasonings, such as molasses and paprika. Artificial colors will be replaced with beet juice, purple cabbage and carrots. Nutritionists warn that the reformulated chips still lack true health benefits and that the processing depletes food of valuable micronutrients. They urge consumers to eat foods that are raw or minimally processed to avoid the types of toxic byproducts that come from industrially manufactured snacks. Health care experts agree that cancer, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes have a dietary component. That, with these latest findings on toxins in convenience foods may be causing a shift in consumer demand and altering the direction of food manufacturers in a positive way. This video script has been based largely on a much longer article by Joseph Mercola that is available for viewing on his web site at: mercola/ youtube/watch?v=qDF1Mi3z4mI
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 05:50:25 +0000
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