Can crispy roast potatoes really cause cancer and other food myths busted
Another day, another shouty headline about foods that can have an adverse effect on our health. Today's warning came from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) who warned that burnt toast, chips and over-cooked roast potatoes could increase your chances of developing cancer. And just last week we were cautioned that our favourite chocolate spread could have carcinogenic properties.
“We find ourselves fascinating – so it’s no surprise that we’re hungry for anything relating to the health of our bodies, our longevity," explains Dr Nick Summerton, GP and Medical Director at Bluecrest Wellness of the food safety scaremongering.
"News stories about what’s good or bad for us are going to stick, we’re going to share them with our friends, they’re instantly appealing, perfect for social media posting."
“The problem is that bits and pieces of research evidence about food, which might vary in terms of their quality and their source, are blown up into a health scare or story of a new superfood when the reality is so much more complex."
So how do we separate the myths from the might-be trues?
According to Dr Summerton it's about evaluating the depth of the research. “It’s the quality of the evidence that matters," he explains. "But we don’t stop to ask questions about the nature and scale of the data, the methodology, whether the research might be funded by a commercial company with an agenda."
Dr Summerton believes some of the headlines can be confusing. “Today’s FSA news [about crispy roast potatoes and well-done toast being linked to cancer] is an example of an eye-catching story with a very sensible message based on real evidence – but in itself could be misleading," he says.
"There isn’t a proven negative health link in humans between eating foods with higher levels of acrylamide and cancer, at this stage it’s only in animals. Common sense says that while it’s worth bearing the issue in mind, there are much bigger health issues to consider that are proven and higher risk factors for cancer, like obesity, a poor quality diet, lack of exercise, smoking, alcohol."
With that in mind we've decided to take a look at some of the most common food safety myths to scratch underneath the scaremongering and find out the health advice that is really worth listening to.
