'Burned foods' linked to cancers

Dutch researchers quizzed 120,000 people on their eating habits, and found that women who ate more acrylamide, chemicals produced when you fry, grill or roast a wide range of foods, appeared more than double the risk for ovarian or womb cancer. While food experts say it is virtually impossible to eliminate acylamide from our diets altogether, analysis of these findings suggested that those who ate 40 micrograms of acrylamide a day - equivalent to a portion of chips - were twice as likely to fall prey to these cancers compared with those who ate much less acrylamide.

Experts at the EU said, "General advice, resulting from this project, is to avoid overcooking when baking, frying or toasting carbohydrate-rich foods. "French fries and roast potatoes should be cooked to a golden yellow rather than golden brown color."

The food industry says it has made efforts to reduce the acrylamides within processed foods in recent years. A study published in 2005 found no evidence that acrylamide increased the risk of breast cancer.

Bonnie - acrylamide is a relatively new finding. One also must take into account heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), carcinogenic compounds produced when food is overcooked or charred.