OXFORD, Miss. – The latest in a series of community
outreach programs presented by the University of
Mississippi’s Center of Research Excellence in Natural
Products Neuroscience focuses on a little-known food toxin
called acrylamide.
“Would You Like Some Acrylamide with Your Fries?” is set
for 6:30 p.m. Aug. 7 at the Oxford Conference Center.
Refreshments are served at 6 p.m. The program is free and
open to the public.
An odorless chemical, acrylamide is a suspected
cancer-causing agent used to manufacture certain chemicals,
plastics and dyes. It has recently been found to be a
natural by-product of cooking certain foods, particularly
starchy foods such as french fries, potato chips, bread,
rice and processed cereals, according to the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration.
Abir El-Alfy, research assistant professor in the School of
Pharmacy’s pharmacology department, is the speaker for the
session. Following his presentation, “Acrylamide in Food:
A Health Concern and a Safety Issue,” he plans to take
questions from the audience.
“I had only marginally heard about acrylamide, so was quite
interested when Dr. El-Alfy mentioned her ongoing research
in this area,” said Sherra Jones, project coordinator of
CORE-NPN, and organizer of the Community Outreach Program.
“I think that armed with all the information possible, we
make better choices in the foods we eat.”
The series is designed to provide information to help
individuals make informed decisions about their health,
said Rae R. Matsumoto, professor of pharmacology and
director of CORE-NPN. The programs are scheduled the first
Tuesday of each month.
Other topics to be explored in the series are “Depression –
Sad, Lonely and Blue,” “Stroke – Recognizing the Signs and
Symptoms,” “Alcohol – Its Use, Abuse and Addiction,”
“Headache or Migraine – What’s the Difference?” and
“Stimulants – What’s the Harm?”
CORE-NPN is a research and training program in the UM
School of Pharmacy funded by the National Center for
Research Resources at the National Institutes of Health.
The five-year grant, which began last fall, allows
investigators to conduct state-of-the-art research to
identify components and properties of natural products that
affect the nervous system.
For more information or assistance related to a disability,
contact Sherra Jones at 662-915-1285 or by e-mail at
CORE-NPN@olemiss.edu.