Fermented foods, ethyl carbamate and other carcinogens

[brimstoneSalad]

It was mentioned in another thread about soy sauce (along with 3-MCPD which is in the industrially hydrolyzed ones), it's apparently also true of alcoholic beverages, I would assume of vinegar too (although is it?), and even bread.

Fermentation is a great way to add value to grains and beans, making them both more delicious and often more digestible.

From sourdough bread, to miso, and tempeh. So, what's the deal?

Are all of these things high in carcinogens? If no, which are? What are the ways to reduce the concentration? Any way to break these things down?

Any info on the topic?

Dr. Greger doesn't seem to mention tempeh very often.
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/tofu-vs-tempeh-2/

I'll see if I can find more. Anybody have any links?

[garrethdsouza]

Thia thread specifically https://theveganatheist.com/forum/viewt ... 9&start=30

EquALLity wrote:
I already knew about the environmental concerns with palm oil, so I just got sustainable.

https://www.rainforest-rescue.org/topics/palm-oil

This article wrote:
Palm oil contains fatty acid esters (3-MCPD and glycidol fatty acid esters) that are considered carcinogenic.

Oh my. Well, I'll stop eating it, then.

The 3-MCPD part may also be true for soy sauce which also may have additional carcinogens:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/?title=Soy_sauce#Carcinogens
Soy sauce may contain ethyl carbamate, a Group 2A carcinogen.[32]

In 2001 the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency found in testing various soy sauces manufactured in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Thailand (made from hydrolyzed soy protein, rather than being naturally fermented) that 22% of tested samples, contained a chemical carcinogen named 3-MCPD (3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol) at levels considerably higher than those deemed safe by the EU. About two-thirds of these samples also contained a second carcinogenic chemical named 1,3-DCP (1,3-dichloropropane-2-ol) which experts advise should not be present at any levels in food. Both chemicals have the potential to cause cancer and the Agency recommended that the affected products be withdrawn from shelves and avoided. 3-MCPD and 1,3-DCP.[33][34][35][36] The same carcinogens were found in soy sauces manufactured in Vietnam, causing a food scare in 2007.[37][38]

In Canada, the Canadian Cancer Society writes, "Health Canada has concluded that there is no health risk to Canadians from use of available soy and oyster sauces. Because continuous lifetime exposure to high levels of 3-MCPD could pose a health risk, Health Canada has established 1.0 part per million (ppm) as a guideline for importers of these sauces, in order to reduce Canadians' long-term exposure to this chemical.

I think it's mostly from soy sauce made from chemically hydrolyzed soy protein rather than the traditional bacterial fermented one so one could avoid the former. http://vegan-advocate.azurewebsites.net ... ysauce.php

[brimstoneSalad]

Oops, sorry, I meant ethyl carbamate.

[brimstoneSalad]

Now that some methods of production have reduced the amount of 3-MCPD in Hydrolyzed protein, and natural soy sauce probably still contains high levels of ethyl carbamate, is there any possibility that the 'fake' soysauce could actually be better than the real stuff, since both are carcinogenic? Is there any data about relative carcinogenicity of the two?

[cornivore]

There's more than one study about reduced breast cancer risk relative to things like soy sauce in the diet, such as that of Asian women who are said to encounter the disease less often as a population. Perhaps some things in soy counteract the effects of other agents that may be in there.

Soybeans are a unique dietary source of a group of phytochemicals and several natural anticarcinogens have now been identified in soybeans, such as protease inhibitors, phytates, phytosterols, saponins and lignans.

I was looking this up because I tried making a dressing with soy sauce lately, and also figure it's best to cook (I make hot a salad to go with it, well a stir fry), which could reduce the amount of potential toxins in there (although soy sauce isn't a usual suspect for food poisoning either, there could be mycotoxins anyway), it tastes good heated too I think.

Here's a related article: Naturally Occurring Carcinogens and Anticarcinogens in the Diet

Indeed, in some instances a single constituent might be carcinogenic and anticarcinogenic under different circumstances.