There is an appeal to burnt foods like bread, which is luckily safe to eat. However, burnt food is high in a chemical compound called acrylamide, which has a bad reputation.

In the 1980s, research found that rodents exposed to high levels of the chemical were more likely to develop a few different cancers, associating it with an increased cancer risk.

However, the risk in humans is not proven and requires further research, according to several government and regulatory agencies in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

Studies on humans have not found consistent evidence between acrylamide and cancer risk, according to the U.S. National Cancer Institute. If anything, it’s a case of moderation.