(20-03-11) Do the Chemicals That Turn Soda Brown Also Cause Cancer?

Soda is bad for your health. But it may be even worse than you'd thought.
According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), the "caramel
coloring" used in Coke, Pepsi and other sodas is carcinogenic.

The artificial brown coloring is made by reacting corn sugar with ammonia and
sulfites under high pressures and at high temperatures. This produces the
chemicals 2-methylimidazole and 4-methylimidazole, which have been found to
cause lung, liver and thyroid cancer in lab rats and mice.

Time Magazine reports:

"According to California's regulators, a level of more than 16 micrograms per
day would pose a significant risk -- meaning it could result in at least one
excess case of cancer per 100,000 exposed people.

Given that there are roughly 130 micrograms of 4-MI per 12-ounce can of soda
-- and given that the average American drinks 14 ounces of soda a day, with
young men drinking far more -- that would mean that most of us would be at some
risk."

The FDA responded to the charge by saying:

"4-MI is not a threat to human health. There is no evidence that 4-MI causes
cancer in humans. No health regulatory agency around the globe, including the
Food and Drug Administration, has said that 4-MI is a human carcinogen. This
petition is nothing more than another attempt to scare consumers by an advocacy
group long-dedicated to attacking the food and beverage industry."

Sources:
Time Magazine February 17, 2011
NIH Study January 2007
CSPI Petition to FDA February 16, 2011

News

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In evidenza

"L'informazione presente nel sito serve a migliorare, e non a sostituire, il rapporto medico-paziente."

Per coloro che hanno problemi di salute si consiglia di consultare sempre il proprio medico curante.