Can coffee cause cancer?

Can coffee cause cancer?

Two celebrities have something to say.**

1. Voltaire (French historian and philosopher, Born in1694 - Died in 1717, Aged 83)**

   **"I drank a lot of coffee for 65 years even in my later years, I can drink up to 50 cups of coffee a day. I lived up to be 83."
   

2. Honoré·de Balzac (French novelist, Born in 1799 - Died in 1850, Aged 51)

**"I am either at home or in a coffee shop, or on the way to it. "

OK, It's just a joke. Let's get to the point.**

Q: What's the definition of carcinogen ?

A: A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that promotes carcinogenesis, the formation of cancer.

Q: Is coffee a carcinogen ?

A: IARC (International agency for research on cancer) has classifies carcinogen into five categories.

• ​ Grope 1: Causes cancer

• ​ Grope 2A: Probably causes cancer

• ​ Grope 2B: Possibly causes cancer

• ​ Grope 3: Not classifiable as a cause of cancer

• ​ Grope 4: Probably not a cause of cancer

  And coffee has been given Group 3 classification. Actually very hot drinks (hotter than 65°C)have been given Group 2 classification.

  So a friend who drinks coffee every day won't have a problem if he doesn't drink coffee above 65°C.

Acrylamide (Group 2A)

Q: Does coffee contain acrylamide ?

A: Coffee beans don't contain acrylamide in themselves, and it's also not an artificial addition. Acrylamide is produced during the coffee bean roasting process. In fact, the process of frying or baking food (containing carbohydrates and proteins) in high temperature will produce a certain amount of acrylamide. Unless you eat boiled cabbage every day, otherwise it's hard to avoid acrylamide.

Q: Is acrylamide a carcinogen ?

A: Acrylamide is given Group 2A classification, but there's no need to worry about acrylamide in the coffee. On the one hand, there's no agreement in the scientific community on the carcinogenic effect of acrylamide on human. On the other hand, high doses of acrylamide have been used in animal trials showing that acrylamide contributes to cancer. If you really want to reach this amount, you have to drink dozens of cups of high concentration coffee every day, and which is impossible.

Overall, for normal humans, coffee is safe to drink.