A new polemic to acrylamide toxicity.

Nutrition is the most important environmental factor that plays a crucial role in shortand long-term health outcomes. Growing evidence exists that some ingredients of preserved foods can induce epigenetic phenomena in genotoxic and nongenotoxic ways, with long-term effects on human health. Conversely, the short-term effects of harmful food components can cause structural damage to various systems and organs from the direct toxic tissue effects the cause functional failure [1]. Genotoxic and non-genotoxic pathways have been suggested for the carcinogenic effect of acrylamide. Of the possible nongenotoxic mechanisms, acrylamide may influence the redox status of cells and thus gene transcription or it may interfere with DNA repair or hormonal balance [2]. According to Dybing et al. [3], 6 of 10 000 people will develop cancer as a result of ingesting acrylamide in foodstuffs. In rats, increased cases of thyroid and mammary gland tumors and scrotal mesothelioma have been noted [4]. In humans, increased risks of renal, ovarian, endometrial, and breast cancers and oral cavity cancer in non-smoking women have been reported [4]. Some cancer types have been observed in rats and humans, e.g., endometrial cancer, but there have been some inconsistencies [4]. Interestingly, in humans, some indications for inverse associations have been observed for lung and bladder cancers in women and for prostate, hypopharynx, and oropharynx cancers in men [4]. These observations indicate that genotoxicitymaynot be the only mechanism by which acrylamide causes cancer and other pathologies. The estimated risks based on the epidemiologic studies for the sites with an observed positive association were considerably higher than those based on extrapolations from the rat studies [4]. These results and the fact that acrylamide is present at high levels in different everyday foods stress the design research into a low-dose rate of exposure of dietary acrylamide and the possible risk for long-term and short-term health outcomes. In addition to essential nutrients and harmful molecules, human foodstuffs also contain substances with protective properties such as lectins, digestive enzyme inhibitors, glycoalkaloids, and fiber from fruits and vegetables. Dietary fiber is a complex of substances that are not digested and not absorbed in the digestive tract. The proven health benefits of a high-fiber diet include prevention of constipation, regulation of cholesterol and glucose levels in the blood, and anticancer activity. This idea is based on information that soluble and insoluble dietary fibers restrict absorption and help to eliminate toxins, heavy metals, and carcinogenic substances from the organism by an acceleration