What’s up with California slapping a cancer warning on coffee? Should you be worried? Should you stop drinking it? At this point in a coffee love affair, could you stop drinking it?
We’ll cut right to the chase on the California coffee cancer issue, and then round back to talk about what science can tell us for sure about coffee so far.
That’s the substance that caused the state of California to start requiring cancer warning labels on coffee. It’s important to remember this is only a preliminary decision by California’s court system right now.
Roasting coffee beans produces a chemical substance called acrylamide. It’s present in some fried foods like potato chips, as well as breakfast cereals and other highly processed foods. The smoking gun—if you’ll excuse the pun—is that acrylamide is also found in cigarette smoke.
So, to interpret the California court system, coffee is guilty by association. The U.S. National Cancer Institute appears to disagree with California’s decision. They’ve issued a statement saying the organization reviewed more than 1,000 human and animal studies and find, “no conclusive evidence for a carcinogenic effect of drinking coffee.”
No one argues that too much caffeine can have a negative impact on your overall health. Many people who drink coffee or any caffeinated beverage late in the day report that it interferes with their ability to get a good night’s sleep. The overall approach to caffeine and coffee should just be to enjoy it in moderation. And, how much is that?
It’s a personal preference. The British Medical Journal recently reviewed more than 200 studies and concluded that three to four cups of coffee daily might actually be good for you. The review seems to indicate that people who drink this amount of coffee have a lower risk of liver disease, as well as a lower risk of dying from a stroke.
Current statistics say that we humans drink more than 1.1 billion cups of coffee each day. Does it surprise you that many of the studies about the positive or healthful effects of coffee are funded by the industry itself?
A recent Journal of Nutrition study looked at the effects of coffee and concluded that up to five cups of coffee daily had no detectable effect—positive or negative—on human health.” Good news, but news funded by Maxwell House coffee and Kraft Foods.
Chiropractic is a holistic approach to health. We don’t just single out one area of the body. Your approach to coffee should follow the same path. Do you ever just drink a cup of coffee? What about cream and sugar? And maybe something to snack on? Coffee is part of your diet? We can work with you to explore your entire diet to help you decide if you are eating to become a healthier person. Set up an appointment with us and find out.