On December December 9, the news that mainstream coffee brands such as Luckin, Starbucks, Lucky Coffee, and COTTI COFFEE detected the carcinogen "acrylamide" sparked widespread discussion. But is the "acrylamide panic" really necessary?
"Acrylamide is not an additive, but a chemical that is very likely to be produced in roasted coffee, and the barbecue foods, french fries, fritters and other foods that need to be cooked at high temperatures in our lives contain acrylamide, so in daily life, contact with them is inevitable. Although this chemical has been proven to be a carcinogen, it needs to be ingested to a certain dose and standard. On November 9, Zuo Xiaoxia, director of the nutrition department of the Eighth Medical Center of the People's Liberation Army General Hospital, told the People's Daily health client reporter.
According to Yun Wuxin, a doctor majoring in biological and food engineering, told the People's Daily health client, "Acrylamide is a chemical raw material, and in its safety summary, there are neurotoxicity, carcinogenicity, reproductive and developmental toxicity, etc., which sound scary." Acrylamide is a small molecule substance that can be absorbed into the circulatory system after entering the digestive tract, and then quickly transported to various tissues, and can be metabolized in the body. The earliest 'acrylamide panic' began in 2002, when Swedish scientists detected acrylamide in certain foods, and its levels were much higher than those in drinking water. ”
On November 30, a barista at a café in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province was working. Xinhua News Agency
Among the carcinogens announced by the World Health Organization, acrylamide belongs to Class 2A carcinogens. "In fact, many foods in our daily life may produce acrylamide in the process of cooking and heating, because it is not an additive, so there is no unified international standard to clarify how much acrylamide is harmful to the human body. In general, the internationally accepted view is that acrylamide produced in food does not have much effect on human health. Zuo Xiaoxia pointed out.
Zuo Xiaoxia reminded, "It needs to be clear that the detection of acrylamide in food does not mean that it will cause cancer, and we must not talk about the harm of dosage, as long as the amount of intake is controlled, there is no need to worry too much." ”
