Acrylamide and Lung Cancer - Put the News in Perspective Before Chomping Those Chips

The headlines are screaming, “dietary acrylamide doesn’t raise the risk of lung cancer, and may even lower the risk for women.” Great news -- if lung cancer prevention is your only concern.

But first, what is acrylamide?

If the word acrylamide is new to you, you aren’t alone. Acrylamide is a chemical found in concrete and grout, that was only discovered as a food component in 2002. The World Health Organization subsequently labeled it as “probably carcinogenic to humans” in 2005. Acrylamide is produced when starchy foods are heated. Foods that contain high levels of acrylamide are, in general, not the healthiest choices, and include items such as potato chips, french fries, crackers, and cookies.

From this study, lung cancer now joins a list of cancers that don’t appear to be affected by the acrylamide content of our diets. Other cancers that have passed the acrylamide test include pre-menopausal breast cancer as well as cancers of the prostate, bladder, and gastrointestinal tract.

But wait. An increased risk of some cancers has been associated with dietary acrylamide. These include estrogen receptor positive breast cancer, postmenopausal uterine and ovarian cancers, and kidney cancer.

With confusing information like this, I like to look at the big picture. Foods high in acrylamide (such as potato chips) may not be a causative factor in some cancers, but can still be detrimental if they replace healthy calories in your diet. If you like the occasional bag of chips but worry about lung cancer, this study might alleviate some anxiety. On the other hand, these results shouldn't be construed as a green light for acrylamide loaded foods. With swimsuit season nearing, and weighing the calories in foods typically high in acrylamide, I think I'll go for the apple instead of the chips, thank you.