On Food and Cooking

foods to block these unwanted changes in
color and taste. Second, the nutritional value
of the foods is slightly reduced because amino
acids are altered or destroyed.
Finally, there’s evidence that some
products of the browning reactions can
damage DNA and may cause cancer. In 2002,
Swedish researchers found worrisome levels
of acrylamide, a known carcinogen in rats, in
potato chips, french fries, and other starchy
fried foods, apparently the product of
reactions between sugars and the amino acid
asparagine. The health significance of this and
similar findings remains unclear. The ubiquity
of browned foods, both today and through
thousands of years of history, would suggest
that they do not constitute a major threat to
public health. And other browning-reaction
products have been found to protect against
DNA damage! But it’s probably prudent to
make charred meats and fried snacks
occasional pleasures, not everyday ones.