McDonalds French fries are WORSE than cigarettes?!

Several videos and news stories have been circulating this week. Apparently McDonald's French fries are worse for you because they contain a compound called acrolein (or acryline or acraline depending on which spelling mistake people are leaning towards).

It’s actually kind of hard to dispute this when one video with OVER 10 MILLION VIEWS actually refers to two compounds in the same video. Does he mean acrolein or does he mean acrylamide? They are different, you know?

Well fun fact, both acrolein and acrylamide are present in many foods due to thermal processing (heating).

So it’s not just McDonalds French fries, which are easy to point a scary finger at.

You could do it with home cooked French fries, or bread, or even just some dried fruits.

This is a perfect example of someone using an obscene comparison for maximum scaremongering because comparing any food to cigarettes is a red flag most of you would be able to spot.

But singling out McDonalds French fries is a secret red flag most people won’t realise, because acrolein and acrylamide occur naturally in many other foods that are much harder to make scary videos about.

There are health risks associated with higher intakes of many foods, and this is one of them.

But, it is inexcusable to make such exaggerated fearmongering videos just for social media clicks.

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References:
- Interaction of Acrylamide, Acrolein, and 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural with Amino Acids and DNA
- Public health statement for acrolein
- Acrylamide content in French fries prepared in households: A pilot study in Spanish homes
- Acrylamide in commercial potato crisps from Spanish market: Trends from 2004 to 2014 and assessment of the dietary exposure
- Acrylamide in French fries served at primary school canteens
- Formation of process contaminants in commercial and homemade deep-fried breadcrumbs
- Assessment of the acrylamide bioaccessibility in cereal and potato-based foods after in vitro digestion
- Dietary Acrylamide Exposure and Cancer Risk: A Systematic Approach to Human Epidemiological Studies
- Acrylamide in Bakery Products: A Review on Health Risks, Legal Regulations and Strategies to Reduce Its Formation
- Origin and Fate of Acrolein in Foods
- Determination of acrylamide in dried fruits and edible seeds using QuEChERS extraction and LC separation with MS detection
- Hazardous compounds in tobacco smoke
- Tobacco smoking: the leading cause of preventable disease worldwide
- Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death and disability in the United States
- Fried-food consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality: a meta-analysis of observational studies