Problems arise for coffee lovers in California, where a judge decides the coffee seller should include a warning about the risk of cancer. But how worried about the habit of drinking a cup of coffee a day? Not too worrisome, as implied by the scientists and the evidence available.
Scientists' concerns about coffee have faded in recent years, and many studies suggest that even coffee may help maintain health.
"At least, coffee is neutral. Even if there is, there is good evidence about the benefits of coffee in tackling cancer, "said Dr. Edward Giovannucci, a nutritionist at the Harvard School of Public Health.
The cancer research agency under the World Health Organization removed coffee from a "cancer-causing" list two years ago, although the agency said there was not enough evidence to exclude the potential role it caused.
The current concern is not about coffee itself, but a chemical element called acrylamide that arises when coffee beans are roasted. Government agencies call these chemical elements likely to be carcinogens, based on research conducted on animals, and a group filed a lawsuit requiring coffee sellers to give warnings in accordance with the California Act approved in 1986.
The problem: Nobody knows what levels are safe or risky to people. U.S. The Environmental Protection Agency has set limits on acrylamide for drinking water, but there is nothing for food.
"By consuming a cup of coffee a day, the chances of exposure to carcinogens are not too high," and chances are you do not have to eliminate the consumption habits of coffee, says Dr. Bruce Y. Lee of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "If you consume large amounts of coffee per day, there may be reasons to reduce the level of consumption."
This is what is known about the risks involved.
Chemical elements
Start with the greatest risk of known cancer - smoking - which produces acrylamide. Among the ingredients, French fries, potato chips, chips, biscuits, cereals and other high carbohydrate content contain the chemical elements as a by-product of roasting, roasting, baking, or frying.
The Food and Drug Administration tested the levels of acrylamide found in the range 175 to 351 parts per billion (a measure of the concentration of contaminants) of six tested coffee brands; the highest is the type of crystal coffee with caffeine that has been removed. As a comparison of french fries in one of the franchise chain restaurants its content ranges from 117 to 313 parts per billion, depending on the location of the test site. Some of the french fries that are sold are more than 1,000 parts per billion.
Even some baby foods contain acrylamide, such as biscuits made to train baby bites and other baby biscuits. One organic tuber brand tested contained acrylamide chemicals of 121 parts per billion.
What are the risks?
The "probable" label is based on studies in animals given high levels of acrylamide in drinking water. But there are different ways to absorb the chemical elements between humans and rodents at different levels and the metabolic processes are also different, so its relevance to human health remains unknown.
A group of 23 scientists at a meeting organized by a cancer investigator under WHO in 2016 observed coffee rather than a direct observation of acrylamide and decided that coffee is not a cause of breast, prostate, or pancreatic cancer and it appears coffee may reduce risk of liver and uterine cancer. There is not enough evidence to determine its impact on a number of other types of cancer.
California Act
Since 1986, business entities are required to include warnings about chemical elements known to cause cancer or other health risks more than 900 chemical elements are listed in the current state list but what are classified as "significant" risks is debatable.
Coffee vendors and other defendants pushing for the passage of the rule on Thursday were given several weeks to fight or appeal.
The law "has the potential to cause more harm than good for public health," raising concerns among people who think the risks posed by coffee are as high as smoking, Giovanucci said.
The International Food Information Council and Foundation, an organization funded largely by the food and beverage industry, said the law is troubling the public in the absence of guidance on risk levels, and added US dietary guidelines saying coffee consumption of up to five cups a day could be part of healthy diet.
Dr. Otis Brawley, a top medical official from the American Cancer Society stated, "The problem here is the dose, and the amount of acrylamide contained in coffee, which is very little, compared to the amount of acrylamide induced by smoking. I think we should not worry about the impact of consuming a cup of coffee. "
Amy TrentonDietz, a public health specialist at the University of WisconsinMadison, said the state of California's regulations are in stark contrast to scientific findings.
"Studies in humans imply, if any, coffee can be a deterrent against certain types of cancer," he said. "As long as people do not add sugar or sweetener in large quantities, coffee, tea, and water are the best that can be minimized by someone."
The Associated Press series is published in partnership with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. AP is the only party responsible for the contents of this article.
Scientists' concerns about coffee have faded in recent years, and many studies suggest that even coffee may help maintain health.
"At least, coffee is neutral. Even if there is, there is good evidence about the benefits of coffee in tackling cancer, "said Dr. Edward Giovannucci, a nutritionist at the Harvard School of Public Health.
 |
| The coffee ore appears in a coffee roasting machine at a booth at the Coffee Fair in Lima, Peru, August 25, 2017 |
The cancer research agency under the World Health Organization removed coffee from a "cancer-causing" list two years ago, although the agency said there was not enough evidence to exclude the potential role it caused.
The current concern is not about coffee itself, but a chemical element called acrylamide that arises when coffee beans are roasted. Government agencies call these chemical elements likely to be carcinogens, based on research conducted on animals, and a group filed a lawsuit requiring coffee sellers to give warnings in accordance with the California Act approved in 1986.
The problem: Nobody knows what levels are safe or risky to people. U.S. The Environmental Protection Agency has set limits on acrylamide for drinking water, but there is nothing for food.
"By consuming a cup of coffee a day, the chances of exposure to carcinogens are not too high," and chances are you do not have to eliminate the consumption habits of coffee, says Dr. Bruce Y. Lee of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "If you consume large amounts of coffee per day, there may be reasons to reduce the level of consumption."
This is what is known about the risks involved.
Chemical elements
Start with the greatest risk of known cancer - smoking - which produces acrylamide. Among the ingredients, French fries, potato chips, chips, biscuits, cereals and other high carbohydrate content contain the chemical elements as a by-product of roasting, roasting, baking, or frying.
The Food and Drug Administration tested the levels of acrylamide found in the range 175 to 351 parts per billion (a measure of the concentration of contaminants) of six tested coffee brands; the highest is the type of crystal coffee with caffeine that has been removed. As a comparison of french fries in one of the franchise chain restaurants its content ranges from 117 to 313 parts per billion, depending on the location of the test site. Some of the french fries that are sold are more than 1,000 parts per billion.
Even some baby foods contain acrylamide, such as biscuits made to train baby bites and other baby biscuits. One organic tuber brand tested contained acrylamide chemicals of 121 parts per billion.
What are the risks?
The "probable" label is based on studies in animals given high levels of acrylamide in drinking water. But there are different ways to absorb the chemical elements between humans and rodents at different levels and the metabolic processes are also different, so its relevance to human health remains unknown.
A group of 23 scientists at a meeting organized by a cancer investigator under WHO in 2016 observed coffee rather than a direct observation of acrylamide and decided that coffee is not a cause of breast, prostate, or pancreatic cancer and it appears coffee may reduce risk of liver and uterine cancer. There is not enough evidence to determine its impact on a number of other types of cancer.
California Act
Since 1986, business entities are required to include warnings about chemical elements known to cause cancer or other health risks more than 900 chemical elements are listed in the current state list but what are classified as "significant" risks is debatable.
Coffee vendors and other defendants pushing for the passage of the rule on Thursday were given several weeks to fight or appeal.
The law "has the potential to cause more harm than good for public health," raising concerns among people who think the risks posed by coffee are as high as smoking, Giovanucci said.
The International Food Information Council and Foundation, an organization funded largely by the food and beverage industry, said the law is troubling the public in the absence of guidance on risk levels, and added US dietary guidelines saying coffee consumption of up to five cups a day could be part of healthy diet.
Dr. Otis Brawley, a top medical official from the American Cancer Society stated, "The problem here is the dose, and the amount of acrylamide contained in coffee, which is very little, compared to the amount of acrylamide induced by smoking. I think we should not worry about the impact of consuming a cup of coffee. "
Amy TrentonDietz, a public health specialist at the University of WisconsinMadison, said the state of California's regulations are in stark contrast to scientific findings.
"Studies in humans imply, if any, coffee can be a deterrent against certain types of cancer," he said. "As long as people do not add sugar or sweetener in large quantities, coffee, tea, and water are the best that can be minimized by someone."
The Associated Press series is published in partnership with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. AP is the only party responsible for the contents of this article.
Comments
Post a Comment