Pizza’s dark side: burnt crust, processed meats, and blood sugar spikes can raise cancer risks—here’s what the science says.

Written by Keith Bishop, Integrative Cancer Educator, Clinical Nutritionist, Retired Pharmacist, and Founder of Prevail Over Cancer.

🔥Burnt Crust and Acrylamides: A Carcinogenic Combo?

When pizza crust is overcooked or charred, it can form acrylamides—chemical compounds linked to increased cancer risk. Acrylamides are especially prevalent in carbohydrate-rich foods cooked at high temperatures, such as baked goods and fried potatoes. Though research is ongoing, acrylamides are genotoxic (damage DNA) and carcinogenic in animal studies.

Additionally, the blackened edges of pizza crust may contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs), both of which are formed during high-heat cooking and have been shown to damage DNA and promote cancer development.[i]

Learn more from the National Cancer Institute: Chemicals in Meat Cooked at ...