Acrylamide forms naturally during high-heat cooking through the Maillard reaction

This 2022 study is one of the findings that prompted WHO to label aspartame as 'possibly carcinogenic'

This French study analyzed online periodic self-reported food journals from more than 100,000 people for a median of almost eight years and linked aspartame consumption to a roughly 15% increased cancer risk. It found that the people who consumed higher levels of aspartame had elevated cancer numbers—particularly breast and obesity-related cancers.

The WHO labeled aspartame as 'possibly carcinogenic' but US regulators consider it safe

The International Agency for Research on Cancer, an arm of the World Health Organization, labeled aspartame—the artificial sweetener in Diet Coke—as one of several hundred possible cancer-causing substances in 2023. The determination was based on animal and human studies and "limited" evidence linking it to liver cancer. The WHO and US Food and Drug Administration both say the substance is safe at moderate levels. The FDA says a person weighing about 132 pounds would need to have 75 packets daily to reach an unsafe level.

Mycotoxins are toxic compounds produced by fungi—some show up in food

About a quarter of the world’s agricultural products are contaminated with mycotoxins. Some of these compounds can cause serious health problems, including cancer, so the US government has set up monitoring programs to detect them in our food and in animal feed. Humans can become ill if they eat contaminated food, but also if they ingest products from animals that had previously consumed these toxic compounds, such as milk from a cow that ate contaminated corn.

Ultraprocessed foods are linked with a 58% elevated risk of developing dementia.

Watch an animation of what happens inside cookies as they bake in an oven

As temperatures rise and butter melts, trapped water expands, spreading the dough, which remains held together by a network of proteins. Maillard reactions produce browning on the surface beyond 310 degrees Fahrenheit (154 degrees Celsius), while caramelization can be triggered by baking past 356 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).

Exposure to ionizing radiation from nuclear accidents can damage DNA

The damage can increase the risks of cancer, cataracts, heart disease, and other illnesses based on exposure times and intensities. Contaminated food, water, air, or soil from near nuclear accidents can further prolong one's exposure.

Natural toxins produced on plants or consumed by animals may cause food poisoning

When humans eat plants with certain natural toxins on them—including a family of toxins called aflatoxins that fungi produce on crops like peanuts and corn— they can become ill with food poisoning. Toxins can still harm humans even if animals or plants appear fine to the human eye. The World Health Organization advises that we should throw away moldy or discolored foods, refrain from eating wild plants or mushrooms that aren’t definitively nonpoisonous, and remember that just because something is “natural” it’s not always safe to eat.

Artificial sweeteners are considered safe for most people, but researchers are investigating their effects on gut microbiome health.

DNA may serve as a flame retardant by self-extinguishing some burning materials

When DNA burns, phosphate groups release phosphoric acid, and nitrogenous bases release ammonia. These molecules, along with the sugar in DNA's backbone, shift the combustion reaction toward the formation of intumescent char. This puffy, carbon-rich layer protects open flames from burning the material beneath.

Symptoms of DNA loss may mimic those seen in mushroom poisoning or chemotherapy

Although no organism has ever lost all its DNA, the destroying angel mushroom contains amatoxin, which disrupts DNA transcription and is known to cause death via liver and kidney failure in three days. Doxorubicin, which tangles DNA to disrupt cellular replication, compromises a person's immune system.

Michael Sveda discovered cyclamate by accident

When this lab researcher brought his hands to his lips to smoke his cigarette in 1937, he tasted something sweet, which he called cyclamate. It was quickly used in diet sodas, but it was banned from the US in 1969 after being linked to rodent bladder cancer in lab experiments.

Monosodium glutamate is a sodium salt form of a naturally occurring amino acid

Monosodium glutamate myths originate from a 1968 letter to the New England Journal of Medicine, in which unpleasant symptoms after eating Chinese food were dubbed Chinese restaurant syndrome without medical data. Subsequent studies show this savory flavor enhancer—found in tomatoes, mushrooms, and other foods—is safe in moderation.

Multiple sugar substitutes were accidental discoveries when lab workers didn't wash their hands.

Chemistry-informed advice for cooking pasta, including how to prevent clumping noodles

On a molecular level, pasta dough consists of protein structures that hold starch molecules, and the starches absorb water during cooking, forming a gel that softens the pasta. Pasta should not be rinsed after cooking. Instead, some of the pasta water should be added to the pasta sauce, as the gelatinous starch will help the sauce stick to the pasta.

Fake sugars may disrupt metabolic health.

Heatstroke can reprogram your DNA, putting survivors at risk of future health problems.

Alcohol may be responsible for about 5% of cancer cases and 4% of cancer deaths in the US.

Research shows that microplastics and nanoplastics can accumulate in major arteries, and patients with these deposits are significantly more likely to suffer heart attacks, strokes, or death.

Aspartame was a surprise discovery from a lab working on gastric ulcers

As with saccharin and cyclamate, the aspartame discovery arose from its discoverer tasting something sweet from his workplace. In 1965, American chemist James Schlatter licked a white powder off his finger as he picked up a piece of paper and was startled to discover it tasted sweet. He applied for a patent for the substance, and received it in 1970. It is now one of the most popular artificial sweeteners. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

Alpha-gal allergy is a problem for red meat lovers, and that same alpha-gal sugar is an issue for xenotransplants, too—since it's present in pigs, human bodies reject pig-to-human transplants as foreign once they detect the substance.

Used since the 1940s, 'forever chemicals' include thousands of different types of substances routinely integrated into industry and consumer products, yet research suggests they can accumulate in the body over time.

Research suggests microplastics disrupt photosynthesis in plants and algae, and this damage in crops may already rival the impact of climate change on food supplies.

Explore the differences between healthy and cancerous cells using a DNA microarray

In this simulation, you will learn how scientists use microarrays to experiment on thousands of genes at the same time. By determining which genes are on or off, users can identify those that contribute to cancer formation.

MSG was first isolated from seaweed in Japan in 1908

The compound monosodium glutamate has been identified in dairy, meats and vegetables, and provides an "umami"—Japanese for "tasty"—flavor to food. Studies in the late 1960s characterized MSG as harmful, but only when testing doses hundreds of times greater than what would be consumed in a typical diet.

Most fungal pathogens can't survive the heat of our bodies.

Cutting mold off your food does not make it safe to eat

Mold is a type of fungus, but not all fungi are molds. This video explains the value of mold, mold anatomy, health concerns around encountering and eating mold, and why mold is found all around us.

Artificial sweeteners may disrupt gut health, throwing off the balance of beneficial bacteria in the gut and shifting the composition of the microbiome.

DNA damage and chemical stress causes cellular aging

While outward signs of aging, like gray hair and wrinkles, are easy to spot, aging changes at the cellular level are less obvious. The decline within cells stems from numerous sources, including DNA damage, oxidative stress, and accumulated waste.

Xylitol, a sugar alcohol, is sometimes added to foods at 1,000 times the level seen naturally in foods

This article covers the latest research in sugar alcohols and heart health. Some work indicates that after consuming sugar alcohols erythritol or xylitol people are at an elevated risk of developing blood clots, which can cause heart attacks and strokes. Both substances occur in low levels naturally in fruits and vegetables and are also produced by the human body, but as sweeteners in foods they are present at exponentially higher levels.

Chronic inflammation can cause cellular damage and could lead to cancer

Over time, this cellular defense system can inadvertently damage cells and tissues when it's in this heightened alarm mode over a prolonged period. This occurs because, when immune cells are sent somewhere without a true target, they may attack healthy cells and tissues.

Microwave ovens heat food by agitating certain molecules with non-ionizing light

Molecules with resonant frequencies within the microwave range vibrate, producing heat between adjacent matter, just as hands warm when rubbed together. The mesh in front of an oven's door confines the microwaves to the container, while the rotating plate allows different parts of food to travel through regions of maximum vibration.

GMOs sound scary, but you eat them every day

Why are GMOs bad? They aren't. We've been eating them for decades with no ill effects, which makes sense, because a genetically modified organism is simply an organism, like every other organism, produces hundreds of thousands of proteins, but one or two of them are proteins that were chosen specifically by humans. Watch this 11-minute video for more.

How to cook food with lasers

Creative Machines Lab at Columbia Engineering have developed a system of software-controlled lasers to cook food with precision, retain moisture with the final-cooked product, brown food within its original packaging, and create an entirely new meal creation process for a consumer. Watch this three-minute video to see for yourself.

Caucasians are at the greatest risk of developing macular degeneration

A 2016 analysis across ethnic groups found, among other things, that white participants had the highest incidence of the disease, followed by Chinese, Hispanic, and Black participants. This study did not answer why that may be the case.

Microplastics are entering human food chains through carrots, wheat, and other foodstuffs grown in farmlands fertilized by sewage sludge.

The importance of volatile aroma compounds in the flavor quality of food

Processes such as air movement and heating cause food to lose aroma molecules, which studies have shown play a major role in our sense of taste. While losing these molecules to the environment leaves fewer to be processed during consumption to intensify flavor, it can also produce previously nonexistent aroma compounds or release previously trapped ones, altering or enhancing the food's flavor.

The additive effects of smoking, diabetes, and poor diet are the biggest risk factors for developing pancreatic cancer.

The flavor of food can be enhanced by combining chemicals known to trigger umami taste receptors with nucleotides—building blocks of DNA and RNA—triggering an effect called umami synergy.

Barbecue relies on a unique scientific equation

Barbecue's distinct flavor starts with an interaction between the heat source and food, which creates a Maillard Reaction—better known to diners as those crunchy, caramelized bits on the outside.

The dark side of modern sugar production

Humanity's ancestors evolved to wring more calories from sugary fruits by storing excess sugar as fat, an adaption that's culminated in many peoples' palettes preferring calorie-rich sweet. Now, the desire for sugar has both contributed to a widespread health crisis and been at the center of atrocities around the world.

Adults are developing food allergies that they didn’t have as children

Research published in 2019 found that almost half of 40,000 surveyed adults with food allergies developed a new food allergy as adults, underscoring that our immune systems may newly misclassify substances later in life.

Black mold isn’t more worrisome than other colors of mold

Black mold typically refers to Stachybotrys chartarum, a mold that commonly appears in damp or water-damaged areas of the home. Black mold—and other molds—won’t typically make otherwise healthy people ill, and all molds should be treated the same with respect to health risks and removal. If you have mold allergies, mold can cause an allergic response, and it can trigger asthma attacks for people with asthma. If you have a compromised immune system, then black mold exposure can also cause a fungal infection in your airways or elsewhere in the body.

Discover the chemistry behind smoking foods, including the types of smoking and the source of smoking flavors and colors.

Microplastics are infiltrating the human body with unclear but concerning effects

Scientists have linked microplastics to immune system damage, hormone disruption, inflammatory diseases, and even cancer—yet most of their health impacts remain unknown due to limited research. Studies suggest we ingest about a credit card's worth of plastic weekly.

The history of molecular gastronomy, from thickening yolks with alcohol to making art with food

Before understanding why they worked, humans used scientific principles, including designing solutions and analyzing outcomes, to develop preservation methods like curing meat and fermenting vegetables. By the 20th century, the application of industrialized food preparation to smaller kitchens set the stage for the subdiscipline of food science.

Learn the history of food science breakthroughs from the 20th century

Long after humans developed the means to produce sufficient food to feed civilizations, scientific research focused on a wide variety of objectives, such as developing methods to preserve food quality (accomplished via frozen food), speeding up cooking (leading to the microwave), and lowering the cost of sweetening food, which high fructose corn syrup provides.

Stainless steel and cast-iron pans should be used over older nonstick cookware

Although modern nonstick pans avoid forever chemicals like PFOA, they were previously used in the manufacturing of Teflon coatings and have been linked with certain types of cancer, infertility, and other adverse health outcomes. Vintage plastic utensils should also be avoided due to the leeching of contaminants in early formulations of plastic.

Volatile chemical contamination can last in burn areas long after urban wildfires

Lead, arsenic, asbestos, and other chemicals have been found trapped in smoke-exposed rugs, couches, pillows, and other furniture that appeared otherwise undamaged from the 2025 LA wildfires. The gradual release of these substances has produced dangerous indoor air concentrations and contributed to increased emergency room visits and abnormal blood tests.

Allergies occur when our immune system mistakenly considers a substance a threat

Immunoglobulin E antibodies, or IgE antibodies, may bind to an allergen, effectively labeling it as a threat. That triggers a cascade of actions in the body, including the release of histamine, which causes the characteristic itching and hives of allergies. Sometimes a cooked version of an allergen—like a cooked carrot—may look different enough from its raw form to the immune system that antibodies ignore it, and no allergic response takes place.

Before being sued over a customer's third-degree burns, McDonald's required all coffee to be served between 180 and 190 degrees Fahrenheit.