Last year, an online article titled "Starbucks' biggest scandal exposed: the coffee we drink is actually this kind of stuff..." went viral, sparking heated discussions among netizens. The article directly pointed out that "coffee causes cancer", which was "refreshing".

It is understood that the origin of this incident is that a US court required Starbucks and other coffee shops to put a "cancer risk" warning on the labels of coffee products sold in California. Once a stone stirs up a thousand waves, this report spread to China, and rumors of "coffee causes cancer" and "Starbucks causes cancer" spread everywhere, causing panic among the people.

Coffee has become a favorite drink for many young people in today's modern life. On weekday mornings, many white-collar workers rush into the office building with a cup of coffee. Xiao Fang, a programmer in Hangzhou, said that he is too busy at work and does not rest enough, so he has to drink four or five cups of coffee every day to refresh himself. Many brain workers also said that they feel uncomfortable if they do not drink coffee for a day.

It is such a popular beverage that has been reported to cause cancer! Many people who love or drink coffee regularly are worried: I used to drink coffee regularly, could I have cancer? Is the claim that coffee causes cancer scientific?

First, let’s look at the main ingredients of coffee.

Coffee is composed of caffeine, tannin, acidic fat, volatile fat, protein, sugar, fiber and minerals. Caffeine is the source of bitterness in coffee, which can stimulate the central nervous system, promote the secretion of digestive juice and have a diuretic effect. Volatile fat is a substance that emits about 40 kinds of aroma, which is why we smell coffee. Protein is the main source of coffee calories, but the proportion is not high.

Every 100g of coffee beans contains 16g of fat, 9g of cellulose, 8g of tannins and a few other ingredients.

In the article "Coffee causes cancer" mentioned above, the carcinogenic substance in coffee is acrylamide. The article points out that acrylamide that occurs naturally during the coffee roasting process has the risk of causing cancer.

Just when many people were hesitating whether to say goodbye to coffee in the future, "Science Popularization China" came out to dispel the rumor: the legend that coffee causes cancer mainly comes from the acrylamide it contains , but this substance is not unique to coffee, and the acrylamide people ingest does not mainly come from coffee. Therefore , the claim that coffee causes cancer is unscientific.

The latest Australian study also shows that drinking coffee is not associated with cancer. Drinking coffee every day neither reduces the risk of cancer nor increases the risk of cancer.

There are more studies showing that coffee does not cause cancer. For example, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the International Cancer Research Fund WRCF both pointed out that there is currently no evidence that drinking coffee can cause cancer.

Although coffee cannot prevent cancer, studies have shown that coffee can help prolong life. This is because caffeine and other ingredients in coffee, when entering the human body, will produce certain effects, such as sobering up, diuresis and dehumidification, improving constipation, preventing cardiovascular disease, etc.

A study published in the European Journal of Epidemiology showed that drinking coffee was negatively correlated with mortality without considering certain specific factors. That is to say, under the specified data, the mortality rate of people who do not drink coffee is higher than that of people who drink coffee. Some experts said that coffee's improvement in attention and mental acuity may be part of the reason. The Chinese Nutrition Society also pointed out that drinking 2-4 cups of coffee in moderation may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.

However, although coffee can improve the symptoms of diseases to some extent, it cannot be used as a prescription for treating diseases, let alone excessive drinking. Especially for the elderly, pregnant women and children, excessive drinking of coffee can easily cause mental excitement, insomnia, osteoporosis, etc.

So, don't listen to rumors that can't stand the test, and don't exaggerate. Look at coffee rationally, and drinking coffee in moderation is the right thing to do. #滚蛋吧肿瘤君##清风计划#

Survey: Do you like coffee?

References:

[1] “This authoritative consensus is your best coffee companion”, Beijing Youth Daily, October 10, 2018

[2] “Latest study finds no link between coffee drinking and cancer risk” Beijing Daily, July 31, 2019

[3] “Can drinking coffee help prolong your life? The latest research tells you,” People’s Daily Online, May 17, 2010

[4] “Top 10 Food Safety Rumors in 2018 Released: Have You Fallen into One?” Xinhuanet, June 26, 2019

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