Does the Coffee Drinking Increases the Cancer Risk in Humans?

Coffee contains small amout of acrylamide and scientific human studies says that it does not pose a significant cancer risk.

In short, while coffee does contain acrylamide (a substance classified as a probable carcinogen), the amounts are small, and major health authorities have found no clear evidence linking coffee consumption to an increased risk of cancer in humans.

Acrylamide in Coffee: A Byproduct of Roasting

Acrylamide isn’t an ingredient that is added to coffee; it’s a chemical that forms naturally during the roasting process. It is a byproduct of the Maillard reaction, which occurs when sugars and the amino acid asparagine react at high temperatures (above 120°C), creating the aroma, flavor, and brown color of roasted coffee. Because of this, the World Health Organization has set a recommended benchmark level for acrylamide in roasted coffee at below 850 µg/kg, and levels in real-world samples average around 110 µg/kg.

How is the Acrylamid and Cancer Risk Assessed?

The confusion about the risk comes from how different studies interpret the data. The primary concern is based on studies where lab animals were given very high doses of acrylamide, which caused cancer. However, these doses are far higher than what a person would consume from drinking coffee.

When researchers look at large groups of people, they have not found a consistent link between dietary acrylamide intake and cancer. In fact, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) downgraded its previous cancer concern for coffee in 2016, placing it in Group 3, which means “not classifiable as to carcinogenicity to humans”. They noted there was inadequate evidence to link coffee drinking to cancer overall.

The Balance of Risk and Benefit

This is why many experts say the risk from coffee’s acrylamide is negligible. Coffee contains many other compounds, such as antioxidants, that may actually have protective health effects. Some studies even suggest that coffee consumption is associated with a decrease in the overall incidence of cancer in humans.

The case of infamous California’s Proposition 65 highlights how this evidence is weighed. While a judge initially ruled that coffee needed a cancer warning based on animal studies, California’s own public health agency (OEHHA) later reviewed all the evidence and exempted coffee from this requirement, citing the lack of evidence in human epidemiology studies.