Coffee and Cancer: Conclusions

What is the link between coffee and cancer?  What is rumor or conventional wisdom and what does the actual scientific research tell us?  Why is California going to require a cancer warning label on coffee?

Here is what we know about coffee and cancer:

1. A judge in California recently announced that coffee sold in the state will require a warning label that says chemicals in coffee cause cancer.
2. Acrylamide is the chemical that scientists at California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment claim causes cancer.
3. Acrylamide is found in very low doses in roasted coffee as well as other food like potato chips, french fries, canned olives, and prunes.
4. Animal studies have shown that very high doses of acrylamide causes cancer in mice and rats.  To date there is no scientific evidence that dietary ingestion of acrylamide causes cancer in humans and it is very unclear if these animal studies are applicable to humans.
5. There is NO SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE THAT DRINKING COFFEE CAUSES CANCER.
6. Research shows consistent evidence that coffee consumption is associated with a DECREASED risk of liver and endometrial cancer.
7. Drinking coffee also appears to have a benefit and preventative effect for oral, esophageal, and colon cancers.

 

California OEHHA Proposition 65 List

https://oehha.ca.gov/proposition-65/proposition-65-list

 

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