Soak potatoes before frying to cut cancer risk

London, Mar 6 (UNI) Soaking potatoes in water before frying them can cut the risk of cancer by reducing the levels of a chemical that causes the disease by 50 per cent, a new study said.

The chemical acrylamide is found in a wide range of fried and baked foods, like bread, coffee and breakfast cereals and a recent report suggested it may increase the risk of postmenopausal womb cancer and ovarian cancer.

The new study shows that soaking potatoes before frying can dramatically reduce the formation of acrylamide.

The lead author, Dr Rachel Burch, from Leatherhead Food International, said, ''We wanted to explore ways of reducing the level of acrylamide in home cooking.'' The study, found that washing raw chips, soaking them for 30 minutes and soaking them for two hours reduced the formation of acrylamide by up to 23 per cent, 38 per cent and 48 per cent respectively but only if they were fried to a lighter colour.

The study recommends eating home-cooked meals, which contain much less acrylamide than processed products.

The chemical forms in carbohydrate-rich foods when asparagine, a naturally occurring amino acid, is heated above 120 degree Celcius.

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