Chips diet ‘puts the health of unborn babies at risk’

Research involving 186 women in Bradford found their babies had higher levels of the chemical acrylamide, commonly found in crisps and chips, than children in Spain, Denmark, Greece and Norway. Babies exposed to high levels of acrylamide can have a lower birth weight and smaller heads, which leads to a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes and delayed development.

The study examined the diets of 1,100 pregnant women and newborns and also found that babies from Bradford had almost twice the level of acrylamide than Danish babies. The study by the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology in Barcelona involved 20 research centres across Europe including the ground-breaking research programme Born in Bradford.

Professor John Wright, of the Bradford Institute for Health Research which is leading Born in Bradford, said: “A child’s birth weight and head circumference are important indicators for the health of the child. The effect of acrylamide on babies is as strong as smoking, so our advice for pregnant mothers is to follow a balanced diet and go easy on the crisps and chips. There results should also encourage the food industry to look at how acrylamide can be reduced from manufactured foods.”

The Food Standards Agency confirmed work is under way to reduce acrylamide in food. The chemical is produced naturally in cooking starch-rich food at high temperatures, such as during baking or frying.