| schema:text
| - Last Updated on February 10, 2023 by Neelam Singh
Quick Take
A social media post claims that coffee is unhealthy and has an array of adverse effects related to its consumption. It is full of carcinogens and much more. We fact-checked and found this claim to be Mostly False.
The Claim
The caption of a Facebook post reads, “COFFEE IS FULL OF CARCINOGENS and MUCH MORE#thematrix#wakeup#conscious#conspriacy
#truther#rabbithole”
In the video, an unidentified man displays a collection of screenshots and states, “Here are just a few of the cancer-causing chemicals found in your coffee. If you don’t believe me, Google ‘acrylamide’.”
Fact Check
Is coffee considered to be a carcinogen?
Not really. In 1991, coffee was included in a list of possible carcinogens by the World Health Organization. By 2016 it was exonerated, as research found that there was no association between coffee consumption and an increased risk of cancer; on the contrary, there was a decreased risk of certain cancers.
However, at present, the speculations of coffee as a carcinogen arise due to the presence of a chemical called ‘acrylamide’. The FDA states that they strongly support exempting coffee from a cancer warning. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies acrylamide as a “probable human carcinogen’. Probable is certainly not definitive. While acrylamide was found to be a causative agent for cancer in animal models, contrastingly, in human studies, the results are inconsistent. Therefore, further research is needed to prove coffee as a carcinogenic agent.
Does drinking coffee cause cancer?
Not exactly. The available evidence suggests that coffee is unlikely to cause cancer. It may even reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer. However, there is not yet enough scientific evidence to confirm this.
Dr. Sarthak Moharir, (MBBS, MD, Radiation Oncology) clarifies this by stating, “Coffee is not carcinogenic, and there is no evidence to back this claim up. Furthermore, unsweetened black coffee is good for your liver and can be consumed without worry. Extremely hot liquids should not be consumed since they are a risk factor for developing esophageal malignancies.”
Coffee and its impact on health is a still a topic of much debate. There are various pieces of research which have conflicting results. Coffee consumption seems generally safe within usual intake levels. The study further states that the largest risk reduction for various health outcomes at three to four cups a day, and more likely to benefit health than harm.
A working group of the International Agency for Research on Cancer working for WHO found that there was no conclusive evidence for a carcinogenic effect of drinking coffee. However, the experts did find that drinking very hot beverages probably causes cancer of the oesophagus in humans. No conclusive evidence was found for drinking maté at temperatures that are not very hot.
Another research states that there is highly suggestive evidence for an inverse association between coffee intake and the risk of liver and endometrial cancer. A study suggests that coffee drinking is associated with a reduced risk of liver cancer. Similarly, research found no significant association between coffee consumption and pancreatic cancer risk.
However, there are scant studies which suggest that there is an association between cancer and coffee consumption. Research states that coffee consumption is not associated with most cancers, although the results of studies on bladder and lung cancer remain conflicting. In the case of colorectal, liver and breast cancers, coffee drinking may even have a protective effect.
In conclusion, further research is needed to establish whether drinking coffee contributes to cancer. Current researchers do not find this association to be true in all cases.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)