A recent study has raised alarms over a chemical commonly found in breakfast foods, linking it to a heightened risk of heart attack and stroke. Acrylamide, a compound that forms during the cooking process, may increase the likelihood of these cardiovascular events by as much as 60%, researchers have revealed.

A team of Spanish researchers analyzed data from more than 100,000 people, drawing from numerous studies conducted since 2007. Their conclusions, featured in the journal Nutrients, indicate that acrylamide consumption is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular events and fatalities caused by conditions such as heart attacks and strokes.

What Is Acrylamide?

Acrylamide is a chemical commonly found in breakfast foods that develops when starchy items like bread and potatoes are cooked using methods such as baking, frying, or roasting. Foods with burnt carbohydrates, such as overly toasted bread, tend to have particularly high concentrations of acrylamide, raising concerns for those who include toast in their daily morning routine.

The research revealed that diets with elevated acrylamide exposure were associated with a substantial rise in the risk of cardiovascular-related deaths, ranging from 33% to 66%. For high-risk groups, such as individuals predisposed to type 2 diabetes, the threat was even more pronounced, with an increase of up to 84% in the likelihood of dying from cardiovascular complications.