Is an air fryer carcinogenic? | Afrilatest.be

Air fryers are hot air fryers that allow you to fry your food with little or no oil. Traditional deep fryers have been linked to an increased risk of cancer, but what about air fryers?

Also read: How healthy is an air fryer?

Frying and the risk of cancer

The link between the use of traditional fryers and the risk of cancer has been demonstrated by science several times. When certain foods are immersed in hot oil, potentially carcinogenic substances are released: acrylamide, aldehyde, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heterocyclic amines (HCAs), trans fatty acids, etc.

• Acrylamide is a chemical that can form naturally when certain starchy foods, such as potatoes and grains (bread, pizza), are cooked at high temperatures. When these foods are fried, grilled or roasted, the chemical is released. Acrylamide is already known to be carcinogenic and genotoxic in laboratory animals. The WHO has now classified acrylamide as 'probably carcinogenic' to humans, because it could increase the risk of cancer of the uterus, pancreas, breast, ovary and esophagus.
• Cooking your food in a deep fryer or skillet can also produce aldehyde, a toxic byproduct found in the fumes of cooking oil. A 2017 study found that exposure to these volatile compounds increased the risk of lung cancer.
• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are carcinogenic substances that can be formed when food is broken down by heat. Meat fats and vegetable oils in particular can release such substances when exposed to high temperatures.

What about the air fryer? Can using an air fryer increase the risk of cancer?

Also read: 'Possibly carcinogenic': how harmful is aspartame?

Less trans fats with the airfryer

Foods cooked with hot air have lower trans fats than foods cooked in oil, making them potentially healthier. Trans fats are formed when vegetable oils are heated to high temperatures. They have been linked to an increased risk of cancer in general, and breast and prostate cancer in particular. The air fryer only requires small amounts of oil, which reduces the risks.

Also read: Possible signs and symptoms of cancer

Airfryer and acrylamide

The level of acrylamide produced when certain foods (such as potatoes) are cooked in an air fryer is unclear. Some studies have found it to be lower than the amount generated by a traditional deep fryer. Other research reports the opposite result.

According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), “tests carried out by industry and consumer associations indicate that air fryers produce 30 to 40% more acrylamide than conventional oil fryers”.

In any case, it appears that the amount of acrylamide in food is not related to the type of fryer, but rather to the temperature and duration of cooking.

A January 2024 study confirms this hypothesis. The researchers found higher levels of acrylamide in potatoes cooked in an air fryer than in potatoes cooked in a traditional fryer. They attribute this difference to the cooking temperature: “while the temperature of the frying oil reached a maximum of 190 degrees during intensive frying, the air temperature sometimes reached 229 degrees in the air fryer.”

Less oil in the air fryer, less carcinogenic?

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are carcinogenic substances that are produced as fumes when food is cooked at high temperatures. Oil is one of the foods that is most commonly involved in the release of PAHs. Air fryers require very little oil, so less PAHs are formed during the cooking process.

Also read: Cooking: which oil should you use?

Tips to reduce the risks

• When frying potatoes, soak them in water before cooking to remove as much starch as possible.
• Limit the amount of oil you use.
• Try to fry as much as possible at 120°C and a maximum of 175°C (in that case, limit the cooking time).
• Avoid inhaling the smoke that comes from cooking at high temperatures. Place your air fryer under a hood that extracts the air.
• It is not recommended to eat fried foods more than once a week.

Sources:
https://www.efsa.europa.eu
https://www.cancer.gov
https://www.frontiersin.org
https://pubs.acs.org
https://ift.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
https://health.clevelandclinic.org