Carcinogenesis Advance Access originally published online on November 1, 2006
Carcinogenesis 2006 27(12):2367-2370; doi:10.1093/carcin/bgl165
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A meat and potato war: implications for cancer etiology
Biosciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Livermore, CA 94551, USA
*To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Chemistry, Materials, and Life Sciences Division, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, P.O. Box 808, L-452, 7000 East Avenue, Livermore, CA 94551, USA. Tel: +1 925 422 5656; Fax: +1 925 422 2282; Email: felton1{at}llnl.gov
Cooking foods clearly has a beneficial impact for humans; the microbial content can be decreased, proteins made more digestible and the flavor and texture improved. But at the same time, amino acids, creatine and sugars, which occur naturally in meats, may be involved in reactions that generate heterocyclic amine (HA) carcinogens during cooking. Recently, another amine carcinogen, acrylamide, was found at relatively high levels in cooked carbohydrate-rich foods, especially potatoes. In this commentary acrylamide will be compared with the meat carcinogens (HAs) with respect to formation, human intake and health consequences—it's a meat and potato war. What conclusion about risks from these dietary carcinogens can we make from the available scientific data?