Eating too many fries and chips may increase the risk of breast cancer according to the findings of a new study.

These foods which are high in acrylamide, may increase risk of certain types of breast cancer according to a study published in the July 2010 issue of Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.

Acrylamide is found in certain starchy foods especially thermally processed asparagine-rich potatoes like chips and fries.

The chemical has been proven in experiments on animals to cause cancer and is a potential human carcinogen.

Researchers from Maastricht University in The Netherlands followed 62,573 women aged 55 to 69 who enrolled in the Netherlands Cohort Study on diet and cancer initiated in 1986 for incidence of breast cancer and dietary intake of acrylamide in the subjects.

In the 13-year period of follow-up, 2225 incident breast cancer cases were identified with hormone receptor status information for 43 percent of the cases.

Study researchers concluded their study showed "some indications of a positive association between dietary acrylamide intake and receptor-positive breast cancer risk in postmenopausal never-smoking women,” and acknowledged the need for further research would be required to support the findings.

According to reports, an estimated 175,000 U.S. women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 50,000 will die from the disease in 2010.