Bread Crusts Could Prevent Cancer

Chemicals produced in the crust during the baking of bread could help prevent bowel cancer.

Scientists at Annamalai University in India have been looking into how the reaction that produces the crust during baking also triggers the release of cancer-preventing antioxidants called pronyl-lysine.

In a report on their findings, the scientists said: “Our results provide evidence that continuous exposure to pronyl-lysine significantly reduces the number of pre cancerous lesions called aberrant cryptic foci (ACFs).”

The findings, published in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention, showed that the chemical’s levels were eight times higher in the crust than in the crumb. Pronyl-lysine is claimed to halt the development of pre-cancerous lesions in the colon.

The study backs up German research carried out in 2002, where scientists found the chemical reaction that produces the hard brown crust – known as the Maillard reaction – also triggers the release of powerful antioxidants.