Could Drinking a Coke Every Day Increase Cancer Risk?

During the production of caramel coloring—used frequently in colas and other soft drinks—a carcinogen known as 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI) is also created that, when consumed, could potentially raise the risk of cancer above acceptable levels, according to a new study.

For the study, researchers used ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to assess 4-MEI concentrations in 110 samples of 12 beverages purchased in California—where a law requires that beverages containing 4-MEI concentrations that pose excess cancer risks > 1 case per 100,000 exposed persons (29 μg 4-MEI/day) must carry warning labels—and in the New York metropolitan area—where warning labels for such chemicals are not required.
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Note: One of the beverages (Sprite) did not contain caramel color as an ingredient and did not show measurable levels of 4-MEI, and was therefore dropped from further analysis.

Of the 11 remaining beverages, researchers discovered that Malta Goya had the greatest 4-MEI concentrations (915.8 to 963.3 μg/L), and Coca-Cola had the lowest value (4-MEI: 9.5 to 11.7μg/L).

Investigators noted that while 4-MEI concentrations varied widely by state/area of purchased and soda, the results were generally consistent across the same beverages purchased in the same state or region.

“Based on 4-MEI concentrations observed in beverage samples from this study, it appears that 4-MEI exposures associated with average rates of soft drink consumption pose excess cancer risks exceeding one case per 1,000,000 exposed individuals,” they concluded.

“Specifically, consumption of Malta Goya, Pepsi, Diet Pepsi and Pepsi One resulted in 4-MEI exposures with associated risks exceeding one excess case per 10,000 exposed individuals, suggesting that the risk can greatly exceed this threshold.”

“Given that a sizable fraction of the U.S. population consumes these beverages, and high consumption by some persons, a substantial cancer burden may persist even if exposures are reduced to the NSRL nationally. Accordingly, federal regulation to eliminate unnecessary 4-MEI exposures may be needed.”

-Michelle Canales Butcher

Reference:

Smith TJS, Wolfson JA, Jiao D, et al. Caramel color in soft drinks and exposure to 4-Methylimidazole: a quantitative risk assessment. Plos One. 2015 February [epub ahead of print] doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0118138.