Could drinking your coffee hot in the morning cause cancer?
Coffee might soon come with a cancer warning – at least in California.
Alas – the health debate on coffee continues to brew.
Just a few days ago, the California court judge ruled that coffee needs to come with a cancer warning. This means that Starbucks and other coffee shops across the U.S. state are mandated to carry that warning.
Why? The ruling follows a lawsuit made by a non-profit, which claims that Starbucks and other coffee companies do not warn their customers that drinking their coffee exposes them to acrylamide.
In California, acrylamide is listed as a chemical that requires a warning label. According to the judge, the coffee retailers failed to prove that acrylamide, which forms during the coffee roasting process, was not dangerous to coffee drinkers.
It’s not new that the conversation on coffee can be quite polarising. On one hand, the president of America’s National Coffee Association claims that “coffee has been shown, over and over again, to be a healthy beverage.”
According to the World Health Organisation however, while there is “no conclusive evidence” that drinking coffee causes cancer, drinking any beverage (coffee included) at extremely hot temperatures can actually cause cancer of the oesophagus.
The recommend drinking your coffee at about 65 degrees Celsius. So instead of wolfing your morning cuppa immediately, wait for it to pipe down before you enjoy your first sip.
And there you have it – would you want your coffee to come with a cancer warning? Or is ignorance simply bliss?
Sarah Khan
Photo: Getty Images
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