What are the side effects of acrylamide?

Author: Ariel Trantow  |  Last update: Friday, January 30, 2026

Nervous system effects such as muscle weakness, numbness in hands and feet, sweating, unsteadiness, and clumsiness were reported in some acrylamide workers. However, most people are not exposed to acrylamide levels high enough to cause these effects.

What foods are high in acrylamides?

The major food sources of acrylamide are French fries and potato chips; crackers, bread, and cookies; breakfast cereals; canned black olives; prune juice; and coffee.

What are the symptoms of high levels of acrylamide?

People exposed to large amounts of acrylamide may experience symptoms such as muscle weakness, numbness in their hands and feet, the feeling of unsteadiness or clumsiness, and sweating. In food, acrylamide forms as a natural by-product of cooking certain items at a high temperature.

How do you remove acrylamide from your body?

Leaves through bodily fluids: Once in your body, acrylamide enters your body fluids. Acrylamide and its breakdown products leave your body mostly through urine; small amounts may leave through feces, exhaled air, and breast milk.

Do all air fryers expose you to acrylamide?

In fact, air fryers typically operate at far lower temperatures than deep frying, for example. So, there is strong evidence suggesting that they can significantly reduce the amount of acrylamides produced during cooking 7.

What Is Acrylamide? – Dr. Berg

Should I worry about acrylamide?

Acrylamide has been shown to cause cancer in animals exposed to very high doses, and although there is no consistent epidemiological evidence on the effect of acrylamide from food consumption on cancer in humans, both the U.S. National Toxicology Program and the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health ...

Why are people getting rid of air fryers?

While air fryers are popular, the most expensive models can start to get a little pricey, which could undermine their status as a budget item. Taking to social media to share their opinions, many people have revealed that they reckon halogen ovens are the best option for frugal cooking.

Is coffee high in acrylamide?

A cup of instant coffee contains roughly 10 micrograms of acrylamide per liter. To reach the lower bound of the most conservative acrylamide exposure recommendations (about 25 micrograms per day), you'd need to drink around 2.5 liters of coffee—about 10 cups.

How to cook potatoes to avoid acrylamide?

Boiling potatoes and microwaving whole potatoes with skin on to make “microwaved baked potatoes” does not produce acrylamide. [Based on FDA studies.] Soaking raw potato slices in water for 15-30 minutes before frying or roasting helps reduce acrylamide formation during cooking.

What detoxes acrylamide?

Some potentially probiotic strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeast that inhabit the digestive tract of humans are known to detoxify xenobiotics, including acrylamide (AA).

What is another name for acrylamide?

Synonyms: 2-propenamide, acrylic amide, ethylenecarboxamide, propenoic acid, amide propenamide, acrylamide monomer RCRA waste number U007, UN 2074, vinyl amide.

What does acrylamide do to the brain?

The long-term effect of acrylamide may cause irreversible changes in the nervous system and disturbance of the transmission of impulses between neurons [7]. In addition, studies show that acrylamide in low doses causes oxidative stress in various organs [8].

What does acrylamide smell like?

Acrylamide is a colorless to white, odorless flake-like solid.

Do bananas have acrylamide?

The formation of acrylamide in both banana varieties was enhanced with an increase in both reducing sugars (glucose and fructose).

What are the symptoms of being exposed to acrylamide?

Nervous system effects such as muscle weakness, numbness in hands and feet, sweating, unsteadiness, and clumsiness were reported in some acrylamide workers. However, most people are not exposed to acrylamide levels high enough to cause these effects.

Does oatmeal contain acrylamide?

Oats have the second highest acrylamide forming potential of rye, wheat, barley and oats. Several studies have found high levels of acrylamide in oat products that exceed the benchmark limits within the EU.

What can neutralize acrylamide?

Add calcium salt such as calcium carbonate may reduce acrylamide formation. 6. Add asparaginase in hard, wheat-dough based products such as cookies and crackers.

How do you bake without acrylamide?

Replacing ammonium bicarbonate in cookies and crackers with alternative leavening agents, while avoiding overall increase in sodium levels, may help reduce acrylamide. Replacing reducing sugar with non-reducing sugars, and only adding sugar coating to breakfast cereals after toasting step may help reduce acrylamide.

What food contains the most acrylamide?

Based on what is currently known, it is not possible to determine the precise level of risk for human health from dietary exposure to acrylamide. However, research conducted by Health Canada and internationally indicates that french fries and potato chips typically contain the highest levels of acrylamide.

Is acrylamide in McDonald's?

(To put these numbers in perspective, you'd consume around 150 µg of acrylamide in one large order of McDonald's fries, or 27 µg in a bowl of processed breakfast cereal.)

Does Keurig coffee have acrylamide?

Acrylamide is a byproduct of the roasting process, so any coffee that contains roasted beans, including instant coffee, will contain small amounts of this chemical. Coffee substitutes, such as grain chicory coffee, will also contain it if they have undergone a roasting process.

Does green tea have acrylamide?

The level of acrylamide in green tea ranged from 27 to 110 ng/g db, and that in roasted green teas such as Houjicha ranged from 247 to 1880 ng/g db.

Why do chefs not like air fryers?

Out of the top three reasons restaurants don't use air fryers, the taste is the leading cause. It has numerous benefits and can cook food efficiently. However, the taste can be subpar compared to other cooking methods available at the commercial level.

Why not to buy Airfryer?

The arduous cleanup kind of negates the saved cooking time

Many oven-based recipes cook 20% faster in an air fryer. Of course, you also have to clean the air fryer, and it's a bit higher maintenance than an oven or even a toaster oven.

What is replacing air fryers?

Ditch your air fryer and replace it with a countertop oven | CNN.

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