Carcinogenic coffee? In the US, the proposal for a label as for cigarettes

Coffee at risk of acrylamide: the proposal of an American non-profit organization.

Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerous

A coffee label, like cigarettes, to say it's carcinogenic. This is the proposal that comes from the American non-profit organization "The Council for Education and Research on Toxics", which points the finger atacrylamide generated during roasting at high temperatures and which has filed a lawsuit against several companies that produce or sell coffee. But how useful could such a thing be?




Given that, of course, it is now established that acrylamide and its metabolite, glycidamide, are genotoxic and carcinogenic substances, that is, they damage DNA and cause cancer (but it is not known to what extent), we really must also worry about coffee?

Well from the States they say that probably yes and that like cigarettes the hypothesis should be advanced that the carcinogenic potential that develops during roasting should be indicated on the label.

For now it is only a proposal, even if there is talk of a real legal action in California against the main coffee chains (Starbucks, BP, Gloria Jean and 7-Eleven, to name a few), to put on the coffee packaging, as it happens for cigarettes, a label indicating the risk of cancer.

Index

What is acrylamide

It is a molecule defined by IARC, the WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer, "probably carcinogenic".

This substance develops when very starchy foods (here you can find all the promoted and rejected potato chip brands) are cooked at temperatures above 120 degrees. At the base there is the chemical process known as the "Maillard reaction" which gives the foods the typical "toasted" aspect, which makes them much tastier.

And the coffee?

According to the non-profit association The Council for Education and Research on Toxics, coffee would be able to promote the development of cancer due to the presence of acrylamide, which is created when the beans are roasted.

Among other things, the National Cancer Institute (Nci) lists coffee as one of the major sources of acrylamide, as well as French fries, pretzels, biscuits, crackers and various other products.

Nci itself recommends decreasing the cooking time to reduce the acrylamide content in the food. However, in terms of disease, numerous studies have not yet been able to prove that exposure in food to acrylamide carries with it the risk of cancer.


The lawsuit in the USA

The lawsuit brought by the organization claims that the defendants "did not provide a clear and reasonable warning" that drinking coffee could expose people to acrylamide.

The lawyer representing the non-profit organization, Raphael Metzger, said that the real objective of the lawsuit is not only to put up notices and placards highlighting the toxic effects of coffee, but above all to "force the producers of coffee to reduce the amount of acrylamide to the point where there is no longer any significant risk of cancer, ”Metzger told CNN.

Carcinogenic coffee? In the US, the proposal for a label as for cigarettes

Does coffee have benefits or not?

The subject of numerous studies from all over the world, coffee has always been appreciated for its numerous health benefits, including the reduction of the risk of early death.

Coffee would also be able to reduce the risk of heart disease, multiple sclerosis, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and even some cancers such as melanoma and colon cancer.

However, a review by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (World Health Organization) found that drinking very hot drinks is "likely carcinogenic to humans" due to burns in the esophagus (with no relation to acrylamide). chemistry).

The science of human exposure to acrylamide still needs "future research," as a 2014 study on the chemical's relationship with a wide variety of cancers states.

In essence, little or nothing is known about acrylamide and its harmful effects on humans.

Even the Food and Drug Administration says it "is still in the process of gathering information" on the chemical, although it has provided consumers with tips on how to eliminate acrylamide from their diets as well as a number of approaches companies should use. to reduce acrylamide levels.


“We have a huge cancer epidemic in this country, and about a third of cancers are diet-related,” concludes Metzger, who is basically not completely wrong.

For now it is just a proposal in one state, California, which by the way is not new to this type of lawsuit (in 2008, the California Attorney General resolved the lawsuits against Heinz, Frito-Lay, Kettle Foods and Lance Inc. requiring companies to reduce acrylamide levels in potato chips).

And how would you see such a "revolution" on the label here too, where there are few roasting companies?

Read also:

  • 10 myths about food you might not expect (VIDEO)
  • Acrylamide: how to reduce exposure to this genotoxic substance

Germana Carillo

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