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Instant coffee can't be drunk, carcinogens more than smoking?

Published: 2026-07-05 Author: World Gafei

Last Updated: 2026/07/05, A few days ago, an article titled "Instant coffee should not be drunk, carcinogens are more than smoking" spread on the Internet. Instant coffee is said to be highly carcinogenic, containing concentrations of acrylamide, a carcinogen, even higher than cakes, French fries, potato chips and cigarettes. Ruan Guangfeng, an expert at the Food and Nutrition Information Center, said that this statement is a typical logical trap. There is no food in the world that can be described as

A few days ago, an article entitled "you can't drink instant coffee, there are more carcinogens than smoking" spread on the Internet. The article says instant coffee is highly carcinogenic and contains higher concentrations of acrylamide than cakes, French fries, potato chips and cigarettes. Nguyen Guangfeng, an expert at the Food and Nutrition Information Center, said that this statement is a typical logical trap. No food in the world is absolutely safe, and it is not clear whether acrylamide causes human cancer. Countries and international organizations around the world are paying attention and studying.

Drinking coffee alone is not enough to cause cancer.

It is understood that acrylamide is a white crystal chemical. In 1994, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) evaluated its carcinogenicity and classified acrylamide as two types of carcinogens (2A), that is, human carcinogens. According to Ruan Guangfeng, it is not clear whether acrylamide causes human cancer, and there is still a lack of epidemiological evidence. "some special occupations may cause nerve damage or other health damage due to high doses, but not enough to cause cancer by eating or drinking."

So, where does acrylamide come from in instant coffee? According to relevant data, raw green coffee does not contain acrylamide. when green coffee is roasted at high temperature into coffee beans, it contains about 300 micrograms of acrylamide per kilogram; instant coffee is extracted from coffee beans, the amount of acrylamide per kilogram is as high as 700 to 1000 micrograms. In general, the acrylamide content of instant coffee is 2 to 3 times that of coffee beans.

Acrylamide is produced when fried in deep frying.

When the heating process such as baking and frying exceeds 120 ℃, acrylamide will be produced in the food, and the higher the temperature and the longer the heating time, the more acrylamide will be formed. Therefore, including potato chips, French fries, mugi-cha, fried dishes, whether fried or non-fried, as long as the degree of heating is enough, acrylamide will be produced.

According to estimates by the Hong Kong centre for food safety, about 45% of the acrylamide consumed by locals comes from cooking. This is mainly due to the cooking style of stir-fried zucchini, for example, the acrylamide content of fried zucchini can reach 360 micrograms per kilogram, higher than French fries.

'some foods have high levels of acrylamide, but we generally don't eat much acrylamide, 'Mr. Ruan said. The World Health Organization estimates that the average level is 20-30 micrograms per person per day. Although the sources of acrylamide consumed by consumers in different countries are different, there is actually not much difference, and the intake of Easterners will be slightly lower than that of Westerners. For example, the average intake of our country is about 18 micrograms (in terms of 60 kg body weight). On the whole, it is not a concern. "

Drink instant coffee in moderation

Many office workers like to make instant coffee to quench their thirst and refresh themselves in the office. However, Ruan Guangfeng warned that although instant coffee has a low risk of causing cancer, from a health point of view, it should be

The intake of foods containing acrylamide should be reduced.

A study in Japan shows that, depending on people's physique, drinking more than five cups of instant coffee a day may not be refreshing. This is because instant coffee does not have the original concentration of beans, but adds extra flavor such as cream, syrup, coffee companion, and so on. In a serving of instant coffee, the real coffee ingredients are only about 1 coffee 4 to 1 coffee 3 of raw coffee.

At present, there are many so-called "several in one" instant coffee on the market, which is actually instant coffee with coffee companions. Coffee companions mostly contain hydrogenated vegetable oils, and the trans fatty acids in hydrogenated vegetable oils do not have any positive effect on the human body, but will increase the risk of cardiovascular and other diseases.

Ruan Guangfeng suggested that most of the current studies on the health value of coffee are based on black coffee, and consumers are advised to choose more black coffee and add milk as a "companion" when drinking it.

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