Coke linked to cancer: Yet another reason to avoid soda | NJ.com

Coke has long been criticized for its high levels of sugar and caffeine, and can for the most part be judged as an unhealthy drink. The drink, along with other sodas, has been linked with causing obesity, loss of bone density and teeth corrosion. Yet research has recently revealed that the product contains an ingredient that could also be responsible for causing cancer.

4-methylimidazole, or 4-MI, is an ingredient in the caramel coloring used for coke soda products. Researchers found that the chemical has proven to be carcinogenic in animals. They produced the following toxicology results: ? 4-methylimidazole (4-MI) causes lung tumors in male and female mice and mononuclear cell leukemia in female rats. Other NTP studies found that 2-methylimidazole caused liver tumors in male and female mice, thyroid tumors in male mice, and precancerous thyroid changes in female mice. In rats, 4-MI caused an increased rate of tumors in thyroid follicular cells in females and an increased rate of hyperplasia in thyroid follicular cells in males.?

The question is does Coca-Cola and Pepsi, two of the world?s most famous soda brands, contain enough of the chemical to pose a serious threat to the health of humans? 4-MI was recently added to California?s Proposition 65, otherwise known as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986. The law limits the amount of 4-MI to 29 micrograms from a single product per day. Any products that contain an amount higher than that will require a warning label that it contains a carcinogen. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) found that a 12oz coke contains as much as 142 micrograms of 4-MI. Thus Coca-Cola and Pepsi have found themselves scrambling to change their formula; a procedure that they claim will not change the taste or the quality of their beverage.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration heard the claims of CSPI, and still deemed the drinks safe. On behalf of the FDA one spokesperson said someone would have to consume "well over a thousand cans of soda a day to reach the doses administered in the studies that have shown links to cancer in rodents". Yet CSPI still stands firm behind its claims, estimating that as many as 15,000 cancers in the US can be linked to the presence of 4-MI in Coca-Cola and Pepsi products. The threat of cancer is yet another reason why people should consume soda products in moderation.

Source: http://blog.nj.com/fitness/2012/03/coke_linked_to_cancer_yet_another_reason_to_avoid_soda.html

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