Acrylamide in food products – eating habits and consumer awareness among Medical School students

Abstract

Introduction. Acrylamide is formed in several foods during high-temperature processing. In view of reports written about the neurotoxic, genotoxic and carcinogenic effects of acrylamide, it was considered that the presence of this substance in food products might pose a risk for human health. Currently, according to EU Commission recommendations, the content of acrylamide in food should be monitored. Objective. The aim of this work was to analyze the food preferences of youth and students from medical schools in Radom, central-eastern Poland, as the most frequent precipitantsas in the field of food products that may be a significant source of acrylamide in the diet. Furthermore, an attempt was made to determine the level of knowledge of the population in the field of acrylamide. Materials and method. The research was conducted by questionnaire. The study was based on the answers of 227 respondents. The survey was carried out by direct contact with an interviewer from February -June 2012. Results. Analysis of the study population shows that women consume more coffee than men. In addition, adults over 25 years old consumed the largest quantity of coffee; it can therefore be assumed that it is a significant source of acrylamide in their bodies. However, even young people under 17 declared that they consume coffee every day (20%). Conclusions. Due to the adverse effects of this compound it is important to reduce the level of acrylamide in food products. A few people in the population (7%) had heard of acrylamide previously, but none of them had any knowledge of its occurrence and formation. It is necessary to take strong action to change attitudes towards acrylamide and attempt to introduce ways to reduce this compound in the diet, for example, by appropriate selection of products in the daily diet and appropriate means of thermal preparation of products at home.

Influência na qualidade de vida dos estudantes de Medicina relacionadas a má alimentação e sono

“…Entretanto, cerca da metade dos estudantes analisados estava tentando perder peso, e a maioria tinha a crença de que tanto o controle dietético quanto o exercício eram importantes para a perda de peso, o que mostra que o conhecimento acerca da saúde adquirido por eles, os fazem conscientes de que podem estar com sobrepeso (Ahmed et al, 2019). Kowalska et al (2017), acerca de substâncias nocivas comumente encontradas nos produtos alimentícios, a acrilamida, presente em bebidas como o café e alimentos ricos em carboidratos, como a batata frita e pão, está relacionada ao risco para a saúde humana por influência neurotóxica e carcinogênica. Essa pesquisa mostrou que, em relação à maioria da população, os estudantes universitários consomem menos esses alimentos com acrilamida, o que pode ser efeito de uma maior conscientização dos acadêmicos em relação ao restante da sociedade.…”

“…Essa pesquisa mostrou que, em relação à maioria da população, os estudantes universitários consomem menos esses alimentos com acrilamida, o que pode ser efeito de uma maior conscientização dos acadêmicos em relação ao restante da sociedade. Em contrapartida, o consumo do café, que também é fonte dessa substância em questão, é uma bebida muito consumida pelos estudantes como meio energético para a manutenção de maior quantidade de horas em estudo (Kowalska et al, 2017).…”

Low‐Acrylamide French Fry Acceptance: A Pilot Study

“…of Maine campus could have been more aware of acrylamide because of the NIFA grant awarded to the university. Only 7% of surveyed Polish health students aged 16 to 35 (n = 227) knew about acrylamide (Kowalska, Żbikowska, Onacik‐Gür, & Kowalska, ).…”

Review on Chronic Exposure of Acrylamide Causes a Neurotoxicity Risk

“…The plants and their derivatives found to have pharmacological activities exhibited the beneficiary effects against ACR-induced neurotoxicity [70]. The lower levels and exposure of ACR have been directly proportional to the attitudes and reduction of consumption ACR containing diet [71].…”