2620: Is an Air Fryer Healthy? What are the Health Risks Associated with Air Fryers? on Cooking & Nutrition Advice

[00:00:00] Delicious meets nutritious in the snack that packs a real protein punch, Wonderful Pistachios. Each 1-ounce serving of Wonderful Pistachios has 6 grams of protein, giving you over 10% of your daily value and making Wonderful Pistachios one of the highest protein nuts.

[00:00:16] But perhaps more than that, I love all of the flavors they have. Their sea salt and vinegar ones are my favorite when I'm craving that flavor but want to keep it healthy. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Wonderful Pistachios come in a variety of flavors,

[00:00:30] like chili roasted, honey roasted, smoky barbecue and jalapeno lime, perfect for enjoying with family and friends or taking them with you on the go. Whether you're a pistachio purist who loves cracking open every nut or you prefer the convenience of no-shells pistachios,

[00:00:47] Wonderful Pistachios has got you covered. Grab Wonderful Pistachios and elevate your snacking game today. So fill up with a healthy snack when hunger strikes. Visit wonderfulpistachios.com to learn more. That's wonderfulpistachios.com.

[00:01:04] Have you ever noticed how a calm mind can really set the stage for a good night's sleep? That's the idea behind our new podcast, Good Sleep. Greg, our host from Optimal Relationships Daily is here to help ease you into a peaceful night's rest with some positive affirmations.

[00:01:20] And these affirmations aren't just comforting, they can help ease anxiety and nurture positive thoughts, setting you up for true good sleep. So press play on Good Sleep tonight because a good tomorrow starts with a good night's sleep. Just search for Good Sleep in your podcast app

[00:01:39] and be sure to pick the one from Optimal Living Daily. It's another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily, episode 2620. And I'm Dr. Neal Malik. Hey there, happy Friday and welcome to another Q&A

[00:01:52] edition of Optimal Health Daily where I answer your health questions related to fitness, diet and nutrition, and more. You send in the questions and I answer them for you. And now we're giving

[00:02:04] away an Optimal Living Daily workbook to you free of charge if you send in a relevant question. So be sure to send one in before we run out. We can only do this if your address is in the US for

[00:02:17] now, but we're happy to send a digital version if you're outside the US. You can email a relevant health-related question to health at oldpodcast.com. Now, once a month, usually during the first Q&A

[00:02:33] episode of the month, I mention a bit about my background and credentials so you can better understand where my perspectives come from. And given this is the first Q&A of the month, it's

[00:02:43] time. Now I've always been obsessed with Batman, but I wasn't always interested in the things I talk about on this podcast – nutrition, exercise, health and wellness. But being diagnosed with a chronic disease at the age of 19 definitely changed my life's purpose. It was then I decided to focus

[00:03:00] my attention on helping others so that no one else had to experience a chronic disease diagnosis like I did. But in order to do that, I wanted to have some credibility. This is not meant to be a humble

[00:03:12] brag, but instead gain your trust. I received both my master's and doctoral degrees in public health. And to make sure I covered all of my bases, I also became a registered dietician nutritionist, a certified health education specialist, and a certified exercise physiologist through the

[00:03:30] American College of Sports Medicine. I've been teaching in higher education for a long time now and I'm currently faculty within the California State University system. I've published peer-reviewed studies, presented at national and international conferences, and have been interviewed by over 70

[00:03:47] different media outlets for my expertise on basically everything I talk about on this podcast. All of this is to say that when I provide my commentary after each episode and answer the questions you send in, I hope you feel as though it's coming from a place of truth.

[00:04:03] My only intention is to help you feel your best. And with that, let's hear today's question as we optimize your life. Today's question came via email. Long-time listener Lee writes, Hi Dr. Neal, I'm planning to replace my microwave oven with one that combines an air fryer,

[00:04:25] convection oven, and broiler along with a microwave. I've not used an air fryer before and understand that they are a healthy alternative to traditional frying. I have read, however, that use of air fryers can lead to acrylamide and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in certain foods,

[00:04:44] which may pose health risks. Do you have any thoughts on this issue? Thank you for any insight. Thank you for taking the time to send in your question, long-time listener Lee. It is true that

[00:04:56] the ways in which we cook our foods can influence our future disease risk. We talk about how eating certain foods makes all the difference, but yes, how we prepare them also seems to matter. Lee, you mentioned two compounds specifically in your question, acrylamide and polycyclic aromatic

[00:05:15] hydrocarbons, abbreviated PAH. Let me talk about what both of these are. First, acrylamide. Acrylamide is a compound that forms in starchy foods like potatoes when they're heated to temperatures above 248 degrees Fahrenheit or 120 degrees centigrade. So, when we eat these starchy

[00:05:36] foods that have been heated to these temperatures, we are consuming some acrylamide. So, which foods are we talking about? Again, examples would be french fries, potato chips would be another example. Some small studies have found that consuming acrylamide can increase the risk for certain

[00:05:54] cancers, but other larger studies did not find an increased risk for disease. So, at this point, most health professionals say that to be safe, it couldn't hurt to reduce our exposure to acrylamide,

[00:06:07] but don't worry about avoiding it completely. It may not be as big of an issue as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In this case, many studies have found that consuming these compounds can increase the risk for developing certain cancers and specifically breast cancer, colon cancer,

[00:06:27] prostate cancer, and even lung cancer. So, how do we get exposed to these PAHs or again, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons? It goes back to how we prepare our food. These compounds are produced when we heat foods through frying, baking, grilling, and smoking the foods. Sadly,

[00:06:48] deep frying often leads to the highest production of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. And the longer the foods are deep fried, the more these compounds are produced. Now, I'm not trying to ruin anyone's fun here. My three favorite foods are pizza, donuts, and french fries. And if we think about

[00:07:06] these three foods, two of these three are deep fried. So, this isn't great news for me either. And whether a lot or very little of these compounds are formed depends on different factors, like the

[00:07:18] amount of oil used in the deep fryer, how hot the oil is, and how long we plan to cook the food at these high temperatures in that oil. We're finding that cooking high-fat foods at high temperatures

[00:07:32] for a long time tends to significantly increase the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon content of the food. We're also learning that foods that are naturally high in creatine, like red meat specifically, tend to create more of these harmful compounds than foods like tofu, let's say. Plants

[00:07:50] contain no creatine. So, if you grill your vegetables or plant-based proteins like tofu, you don't get the same exposure to these potentially harmful compounds. Okay, so back to your question about air fryers, Lee. Would air frying foods still lead to the

[00:08:07] production of these polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons? Before I can answer that, we first need to talk about how air fryers work. When we think of a traditional deep fryer, we have to imagine a food being dunked completely in hot oil. Air fryers use this same concept,

[00:08:25] but instead of surrounding a food in hot oil, it circulates hot air around the food. This leads to a food texture that's really similar to deep fried foods, but without all that oil. Now, because

[00:08:38] through air frying we may still heat starchy foods to high temperatures, you can still get the production of acrylamide. But again, we may not need to worry as much about our exposure to acrylamide. So, what about polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons? When researchers compared air

[00:08:55] frying to deep frying, they found that fewer polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were produced by air frying. In fact, microwaving was found to produce the least amount of these compounds when compared to all types of frying, pan frying, stir frying, and of course, deep frying. I should

[00:09:13] mention that grilling and smoking animal proteins can also increase the concentration of these polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in food. If you like grilling meat and poultry, you can reduce the amount of these compounds produced during the cooking process by first marinating it in an oil

[00:09:32] and citrus mixture like olive oil and lemon juice. Adding spices like turmeric and ginger to the marinade has also been found to reduce the production of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In fact, in one study, adding ginger to foods reduced the amount of polycyclic aromatic

[00:09:48] hydrocarbons the most. So, what's the bottom line? Air fryers may not decrease the amount of acrylamide in our foods, but they do seem to limit the amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. And if you want to further reduce the amount of these polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that are

[00:10:06] produced during cooking, think about marinating your animal-based proteins first in olive oil, some lemon juice, and adding some spices like turmeric and ginger. Thank you again so much for taking the time to send in your question, long-time listener Lee.

[00:10:24] Now, if you want to get your hands on our Optimal Living Daily Workbook and have your question answered right here on the show, send one in. You can email your question to health

[00:10:33] at oldpodcast.com. Now, if you want to send one in via audio, just come by oldpodcast.com slash ask to record your question straight from your computer. Or you can do it the old-fashioned

[00:10:47] way and call in your question. The number is country code 1-61-ILOVE-OHD. That's 1-614-568-3643. And that'll do it for another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily. Thank you so much for

[00:11:04] listening every day and all the way through. I hope you have a great start to your weekend, and I'll see you back here tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.