Drinking Coca-Cola Increases Risk of Cancer
The coloring is not necessary for the production of soft drinks and is included purely for esthetics. |
The chemical procedure during the
manufacture of the caramel coloring
used in soft drinks such as cola
produces a carcinogen that could be
raising the risk of cancer to above the accepted threshold of one extra case in
every 100,000 people consuming the
drinks, suggests an analysis.
Matching laboratory tests
conducted by Consumer Reports on 11 different soft drinks, first reported last
year, with an analysis of average consumption by Americans, the researchers
found that one can a day could be enough to expose them to potentially
cancer-causing levels of the chemical known as 4-MEI (short for
4-methylimidazole).
The potential carcinogen is
formed during the manufacture of the familiar caramel color that is added to
many widely-consumed beverages.
A law in California requires that
drinks must carry warning labels if they contain enough 4-MEI to pose an excess
cancer risk of more than 1 case in every 100,000 exposed people (an exposure of
29 mcg of 4-MEI every day).
Testing on 110 samples of soda
brands carried out by the Consumer Reports researchers; led by a team at the
Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future in Baltimore, MD; found that drinks
contained levels ranging from 9.5 mcg per liter (mcg/L) to 963 mcg/L.
Concentrations of 4-MEI varied
considerably by soda brand and state of purchase, the researchers concluded,
"But were generally consistent across lots of the same beverage purchased
in the same state/area."
They add: "Routine
consumption of certain beverages can result in 4-MEI exposures greater than 29
mcg a day" - the level that triggers a new case of cancer in every 100,000
people consuming the drink, toxicity that was established by previous studies
in mice and rats conducted by the US National Toxicology Program.
The researchers say there was not
enough data from individual drinks samples to recommend one brand over another
in terms of carcinogen exposure, but suggest: "State regulatory standards
appear to have been effective in reducing exposure to carcinogens in some
beverages."
Lead author of the study Tyler
Smith, a program officer with the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future,
says 4-MEI levels can "vary substantially across samples, even for the
same type of beverage." Smith explains:
"For example, for diet
colas, certain samples had higher or more variable levels of the compound,
while other samples had very low concentrations."
In the lab sampling, Malta Goya
had the highest 4-MEI concentration while Coca-Cola produced the lowest value.
California listed 4-MEI as a
carcinogen in 2011, under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of
1986 - better known as Proposition 65. The authors say their results suggest
that "federal regulation of 4-MEI in caramel color may be appropriate."
Variety of cola-drinking habits
To estimate consumers' exposure
to the potential carcinogen, the researchers took the laboratory readings and
analyzed soft drink consumption using data from the National Health and
Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
The data from this survey covered
overall health and nutrition patterns between 2003 and 2010 for tens of
thousands of US children and adults aged between 3 and 70 years.
The authors say: "We
analyzed consumption of all sodas, and further categorized soda into five
mutually exclusive categories: 1) cola, 2) diet-cola, 3) root beer, 4) pepper
cola and 5) other (non-diet) cola."
They found the proportion of the
population consuming each type of soft drink varied, with "colas being the
most popular and root beer and pepper colas being the least popular."
Adolescents and young adults
consumed the most of any soft drink compared with young children and older
adults. Average consumption of any soda were:
Between 550 and 1,070 milliliters
drunk each day by 16- to 20-year-olds
Between 457 and 864 milliliters
drunk each day by 45- to 64-year-olds.
Lifetime cancer risks
"This study sought to answer
a critical question," says Urvashi Rangan, PhD, executive director of the
food safety and sustainability center of Consumer Reports: "How much soda
do American consumers drink on average?"
"This new analysis
underscores our belief that people consume significant amounts of soda that
unnecessarily elevate their risk of cancer over the course of a lifetime,"
Dr. Rangan says.
She adds: "We believe
beverage makers and the government should take the steps needed to protect
public health."
"California has already
taken an important step by setting a threshold," Dr. Rangan says.
Keeve Nachman, PhD, is a senior
author of the study and director of the food production and public health
program at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future.
Also an assistant professor at
the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Dr. Nachman says:
"Soft drink consumers are
being exposed to an avoidable and unnecessary cancer risk from an ingredient
that is being added to these beverages simply for esthetic purposes.
This unnecessary exposure poses a
threat to public health and raises questions about the continued use of caramel
coloring in soda."
ConsumerReports.org has produced
a video giving infor. ConsumerReports.org has produced a video giving
information about 4-MEI in soda drinks.
Daily consumption of
sugar-sweetened drinks is widely linked to diabetes and obesity, but less
well-known include a link to girls starting their periods earlier and being put
at a higher risk of breast cancer.
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