Does burnt toast cause cancer?

Why are some people worried about burnt food and cancer?

Some people are worried about burnt foods and cancer because of a chemical called acrylamide. Acrylamide forms when starchy foods like bread, potatoes and root vegetables, are cooked at a high temperature. This includes baking, barbequing, frying, grilling, toasting, or roasting. Acrylamide is also in foods such as biscuits, cereal and coffee.

Starchy food that has been ‘browned’ or burnt has more acrylamide in it than when it’s cooked to a lighter colour.

Acrylamide was first used to make plastics, and it is found in cigarette smoke.

When scientists discovered that acrylamide is made when cooking starchy foods at high temperatures, media outlets suggested that eating burnt food could be harmful.

What does the research say about burnt food and cancer?

Eating acrylamide in burnt toast and other burnt starchy foods is unlikely to increase the risk of cancer. This is also the case for eating store-bought foods that contain acrylamide.

Good quality studies of people have found no link between eating foods high in acrylamide and cancer.

It is true that animal studies have shown that acrylamide has cancer-causing effects. But these studies gave animals very high levels of acrylamide. We are very unlikely to eat this amount of acrylamide in our diet. So these studies are not good evidence for cancer risk in people.

Diet and cancer risk

Eating burnt toast is unlikely to increase your risk of cancer. Your overall diet (what you eat day-to-day) is more important for your cancer risk than any individual ingredient or food. A healthy, balanced diet can reduce the risk of cancer.

This means eating mostly:

• fruit and vegetables,

• wholegrains such as wholemeal bread and brown versions of pasta and rice,

• healthy protein sources like chicken, fish and pulses

And cutting down on processed and red meat, alcohol, and foods that are high in sugar, fat and salt.

Find out more about what makes a healthy diet.

Find out more