On the California Court Ruling Declaring That Coffee Causes Cancer

During coffee roasting, a chemical compound called acrylamide forms. Alleging that it causes cancer, a lawsuit sought to require coffee companies in California, United States, to carry a contains a carcinogenic substance warning. Recently, the court upheld the California Council for Education and Research on Toxics (CERT) claim, ruling that coffee companies including Starbucks , BP, Gloria Jean and 7-Eleven must add a "may cause cancer" warning. This became a major worldwide news story. But does a court ruling show that coffee causes cancer?

California officially ruled that coffee must carry a cancer warning, but there is not yet scientific consensus on whether acrylamide is carcinogenic in humans.

A Reminder: Things that promote cancer development by causing severe genetic damage in cells are called carcinogens , a word deriving from "carcinogenesis" (cancer formation); the English equivalent is "carcinogen." In Turkish, this term is often rendered as kanserojen , which is an entirely incorrect expression. When someone says "this substance is kanserojen" about cancer-causing potential, know that they do not have an in-depth understanding of cancer medicine or its causes.

The Los Angeles court stated that "the defendant coffee companies failed to present convincing evidence that the carcinogenic substance formed during roasting poses no threat to human health." This is a very interesting decision: the defendant is found guilty because it could not prove innocence. Does that not seem strange? More interestingly, the ruling was made despite unclear scientific data.

Was Acrylamide's "Potential" Cancer-Causing Effect Newly Discovered? Actually, No!

Animal findings suggested acrylamide was genotoxic and carcinogenic to humans. The first reports of it in foods were published by the Swedish National Food Agency in 2002. Since then, it has been shown to form in many foods exposed to high heat through a chemical process called the Maillard reaction. Thus, its presence is not specific to coffee but related to high-temperature food processing. Consequently, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified it for humans as a group 2A carcinogen (probably carcinogenic to humans).

Acrylamide is a chemical that forms naturally in starchy food products when starch (sugar) and asparagine (an amino acid) undergo high-temperature cooking (frying, baking, roasting and industrial processing, + 120 ° C and low moisture). Acrylamide also has many nonfood industrial uses and occurs in tobacco smoke.

Acrylamide, a potentially toxic substance, is certainly not limited to coffee in the diet. It may occur in all processed starch-containing foods. For example, levels rise in french fries, chips and burnt crusts of bread. The same applies to high-temperature baked products such as roasted almonds and other nuts, chocolate, cereals, biscuits, crackers, and caramelized fruit and vegetables.

Since acrylamide occurs in many processed foods eaten daily, the health concern applies to all consumers, but children have the greatest exposure relative to body weight.

Human evidence showing that dietary acrylamide causes cancer is very limited and inconsistent. However, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) considers acrylamide in food a public health concern. Its experts confirmed that food acrylamide potentially increases consumers' cancer risk across all age groups.

Conclusion

International regulators and food organizations provide information on the conditions under which foods should be supplied safely and healthily. Our most important task is to eat home-cooked meals instead of fast food and all processed foods as much as possible, and develop healthy eating habits in ourselves and our children. When it comes to coffee, avoiding excessive consumption and excessively roasted coffee seems appropriate, not only because of its contents but because it is also a hot drink. Remember that the most important determinants of whether carcinogenic or potentially carcinogenic substances cause cancer are exposure dose and duration.

•  When does a carcinogenic substance cause cancer?