By Mark T. Sampson
Symposium explores health effects of acrylamide and ways to reduce it
in food
BOSTON - Acrylamide, a synthetic chemical widely used as a water
treatment agent and in the manufacture of adhesives, dyes and fabrics, has
recently been shown to occur naturally in an increasing number of foods
ranging from French fries to coffee. Some studies have linked high levels of
acrylamide to cancer in animals and neurological damage in humans. Despite
uncertainties over acrylamide?s actual health effects at the levels found in
food, there is heightened public awareness about this compound. The
potential health effects of acrylamide and ways to reduce its content in
foods will be explored Aug. 21-23 in a special three-day symposium,
?Chemistry and Toxicology of Acrylamide,? during the 234th national meeting
of the American Chemical Society. The symposium, with more than 40 papers on
the topic, will include experts from around the world who provide new
insights into the compounds and particularly its biological effects.

All papers in this symposium are embargoed for Tuesday, Aug. 21, 9:00
a.m. The symposium will be held at the Boston Convention & Exhibition
Center, Room 256. Selected papers are described below:

Dietary acrylamide may play a role in Alzheimer?s, researchers
theorize ? Scientists have known for years that acrylamide is capable of
causing nerve damage in humans, including muscle weakness and impaired
muscle coordination, particularly from industrial exposure to large levels
of the chemical. Now, new laboratory studies suggest that chronic dietary
exposure to the chemical is capable of damaging nerve cells in the brain and
could potentially play a role in the development of neurodegenerative
disease, including Alzheimer?s, according to Richard LoPachin, Jr., Ph.D., a
neurotoxicologist with Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. He
notes that acrylamide is structurally similar to acrolein, a chemical found
in increased levels in brains of patients with Alzheimer?s and other
neurodegenerative diseases. Studies in humans are warranted, the researcher
says. (AGFD 079, Tuesday, Aug. 21, 9:55 a.m.)

Acrylamide not linked to breast cancer in U.S. women, Harvard study
finds ? Foods that contain acrylamide are unlikely to cause breast cancer,
according to preliminary results of a new study involving 100,000 U.S. women
followed over a 20 year period. The study is the largest epidemiological
study to date exploring the possible link between acrylamide and cancer in
humans. Led by Lorelei Mucci, ScD, an epidemiologist at Harvard University
School of Public Health in Boston, the study found that the incidence of
breast cancer among women whose acrylamide consumption was considered high
was roughly equal to the incidence among those whose acrylamide consumption
was low. (AGFD 082, Tuesday, Aug. 21, 11:35 a.m.) FULL NEWS RELEASE
AVAILABLE.

Acrylamide found in dried fruits ? Dried fruits, which are rich in
fiber and antioxidants, have long been promoted as healthful alternatives to
fresh fruits. Now, Thomas Amrein and his associates at the Swiss Federal
Institute of Technology have found acrylamide in dried fruits, a surprising
finding considering that these products are dried at relatively mild
temperatures instead of the high temperatures, through baking and frying,
that usually produce the chemical. The study suggests that acrylamide is
capable of being formed under relatively mild conditions through reactions
that are not fully understood, the researchers say. Of the different dried
fruits tested, the highest concentrations of the chemical were found in
dried pears and prunes, they say. (AGFD 197, Wednesday, Aug. 22, 10:15
a.m.).

Fat found to be significant source of acrylamide in food ? Studies
have shown that carbohydrates and amino acids, particularly the
non-essential amino acid asparagine, are the main chemicals in food that are
responsible for acrylamide formation. Now, a new study by researchers in
Spain indicates for the first time that dietary fats make a significant
contribution to the formation of acrylamide. The researchers found that high
fat levels in roasted almonds may account for as much as half of the
acrylamide found in this food and likely accounts for high levels found in
other high fat foods, according to study leader Francisco J. Hidalgo, Ph.D.,
of the Instituto de la Grasa in Seville. Although the researchers say they
have not yet demonstrated that reducing fat content in foods actually
reduces acrylamide, the study provides a new target to consider in efforts
to reduce acrylamide formation. (AGFD 200, Wednesday, Aug. 22, 11:30 a.m.)

Farming techniques, biotechnology may help lower acrylamide ?
Researchers in England are experimenting with novel agricultural practices
and biotechnology in an effort to help reduce acrylamide levels in food
crops. Nigel Halford, of Rothamsted Research, in collaboration with the
University of Reading, says that increasing soil sulfur levels in wheat
crops and reducing nitrogen availability in crops can decrease levels of
asparagine, an acrylamide precursor. The researchers have also produced a
new variety of potato through genetic modification that contains lower sugar
levels than conventional potatoes and are targeting plant genes responsible
for controlling asparagine levels in an effort to reduce acrylamide levels
in food crops. (AGFD 241, Thursday, Aug. 23, 11:10 a.m.)

The American Chemical Society ? the world?s largest scientific
society ? is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress and a
global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its
multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its
main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.


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