Jillian Michaels Posts McDonalds Acrylamide Warning on Facebook
Jillian Michaels, one of the leading health and wellness experts in the country posted a picture of a 'McDonalds Warning Label' on her facebook page today causing quite the stir. She states: "A fan posted this picture on my wall
However, after looking into the matter a little further it appears as though this same picture was posted online about 3 years ago.
In any case, by Jillian posting the picture on her facebook wall (fake or not), the information contained within the message may have opened some eyes about the possible hidden dangers of fast food and heavily processed foods.
What is Acrylamide?
Acrylamide, a known nerve-toxin and suspected carcinogen, is extremely prevalent in our food supply (think processed foods and fast foods). This issue was noted in 2002 and is still being addressed by the food industry, FDA, World Health Organization, and government health agencies around the world, yet many of us haven’t even heard about acrylamide. The European Chemical Agency added acrylamide to the list of substances of very high concern in March of 2010.
If more people knew about this toxin, perhaps they might make adjustments to their buying and eating habits. Does it make you wonder who the FDA spends more tax dollars on: Informing the Consumer or Protecting Profits for the Food & Drug Industry? On a side note, just the other day, it was revealed that the Food and Drug Administration advisers, said the benefits of four popular Bayer AG birth-control pills outweigh the blood-clot risk. What the FDA didn't disclose is that three of the advisers have had ties to Bayer, serving as consultants, speakers or researchers. Does anyone else see a conflict of interest there??
Cigarette smoking is a major acrylamide source. Acrylamide also forms when certain carbohydrate-rich foods are heated at either high temperatures or for prolonged periods of time. This makes it of particular concern for processed foods because high heat and prolonged cooking times help ensure shelf-life.
The EPA recommendations are for less than 0.5 ppb, but it’s now known that many foods, including cereals, potato chips, crackers, baby foods, and many other products contain acrylamide levels in the hundreds or even thousands ppb. This is a fact that is documented and easily accessed through the FDA’s own website (Acrylamide Levels in Certain Foods).
Acrylamide is already positively linked to neurotoxicity (causes nerve damage) and consumers have the right to know which processed foods have high levels of this chemical, what levels of acrylamide are acceptable, and how to minimize their exposure to it.
It's amazing that it's been 10 years since a Swedish Study has linked acrylamide with cancer, yet government agencies and food manufacturers around the globe have failed to effectively educate consumers.
Limit your exposure by choosing organic whole foods when possible. Limit your intake of processed foods. Invest in a good blender that will make eating healthy easy and fun. You'll learn to make delicious smoothies and drinks using whole foods that keep you full and energized throughout the day. We offer the BlendTec Blenders and the Vita-Mix Blenders, but you can certainly start out with a good Ninja Blender from your local Target or Bed Bath & Beyond for around $100.00. Everyone I've spoken to regarding their BlendTec Blenders absolutely love them! You'll be able to kick those processed food cravings in no time!
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Comments
There are many reasons to stay away from fast foods but acrylamide content is not one of them. Any food that is browned in the cooking process will contain it no matter how or where it's prepared. This also includes things like cakes, coffee and chocolate.
It's a stupid warning to attach onto fast foods only as it is misleading at best. By extension, any product intended for baking or frying should also then carry such a warning.
"As you are probably already aware, acrylamide is just one other reason why to avoid fast food."
No, it's not. Again, you get it in your home food. You have not avoiding anything regarding acrylamide by simply avoiding fast food. You've avoided many other dangers, but if you're eating bread, baked potatoes, grilled meat, then acrylamide is not one of them. If you want to say it's a reason to avoid potatoes, barbeque, bread altogether, then that would accurate.
By saying it's just another reason to avoid fast food, it's once again giving fuel to the "eh, another overreaction" response to the actual real dangers of fast food. The point is to actually educate people on the dangers, not give them half truths and blatant misinformation.
Thanks again for your follow-up comment. My point is that you're avoiding unnecessary high levels of acrylamide by avoiding fast food - specifically french fries. As you've stated, there are many other dangers, but when the EPA considers acrylamide to be a neurotoxin, I think that adds merit to avoiding fast food.
“CSPI’s tests included several popular brands of snack chips, taco shells, French fries, and breakfast cereals—the kinds of foods that were initially shown to have some of the highest acrylamide levels.” (Center for Science in the Public Interest, 2002)
“The best advice at this early stage in our understanding of this complex issue is to follow established dietary guidelines and eat a healthy, balanced diet that is low in fat and rich in high-fiber grains, fruits, and vegetables.” (National Cancer Institute, 2002)
Keep in mind that the EPA only allows 0.12mcg of Acrylamide in 8oz of water. A boiled or microwaved potatoe contains 0-3mcg of acrylamide as shown in FDA studies. 6.2oz of McDonalds Fries contains 82mcg of acrylamide. In other words, a large order of fries contains over 500 times higher than what the Environmental Protection Agency allows in a glass of drinking water!
“I estimate that acrylamide causes several thousand cancers per year in Americans,” said Clark University research professor Dale Hattis. Hattis, an expert in risk analysis, based his estimate on standard EPA projections of risks from animal studies and limited sampling of acrylamide levels in Swedish and American foods.
You and I can both agree that eating fast food is not one of the wisest choices to make... :)
Thank you for your comment. The article was to bring added attention to the hidden dangers of fast food and overly processed foods.
In general, there is a 10-fold difference in the amount of acrylamide between normal cooked and overcooked foods.1 Therefore, foods will always be safe with boiling and steaming as the maximum temperative reached is only 100 degrees centigrade (212F) - this is below the 120 degrees centigrade to begin formation of this toxin2.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates the lifelong (70 years) risk of cancer for people who consume 1 microgram/Kg a day is about 1 in 1000. A research group from Stockholm University and the National Food Administration (NFA) found one microgram of acrylamide in just half a gram of potato chips or two grams of french fries. Estimates are that people typically eat an average of 35-40 micrograms a day of acrylamide.
"It's going to take an awful lot of time and effort to tease out whether it has any carcinogenic effect on humans at the doses we're getting," said Stephen Sase of the department of veterinary physiology and pharmocology at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.
As you are probably already aware, acrylamide is just one other reason why to avoid fast food.
Most common cancers (breast, prostate, and colon) are rare in populations whose diets are based on cooked starches and vegetables, such as the rice-eating Japanese. These people, living on their traditional diet, enjoy the world’s record for longevity and also have almost no heart disease, type-2 diabetes, or obesity. Obviously, any acrylamide formed in their foods has had no serious impact on their robust lives. Add in potatoe chips, french fries, and overly processed foods into the mix and the outcome will most likely be very different.
1) Fleck F. Experts launch action on acrylamide in staple foods. BMJ. 2002 Jul 20;325(7356):120.
2) Tareke E. Analysis of acrylamide, a carcinogen formed in heated foodstuffs. J Agric Food Chem. 2002 Aug 14;50(17):4998-5006.
"the information contained within the message may have opened some eyes about the possible hidden dangers of fast food and heavily processed foods."
Did you read your own research? This has NOTHING to do with the dangers of fast food and the industry. It happens no matter where you cook potatoes. Bake bread. Brown meat. Even healthy home made foods made from scratch will contain acrylamide. Period.
Your article only perpetuates the misinformation and continues to allow people to dismiss dangers of fast food.
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