Cancer
Wednesday, September 4th, 2013
Pepsi and the Carcinogen 4-MEI
In yet another reason to avoid all soft drinks like the plague it appears that Pepsi’ caramel colouring contains a trace amount of carcinogen.
But is ok – it apparently only affects rats.
The chemical is 4-methylimidazole, or 4-MEI, which can form during the cooking process and, as a result, may be found in trace amounts in many foods.
However, notwithstanding the conjecture on 4-MEI, the concern is how does it interact with other chemicals in the cola?
While we may have data on individual chemicals and they are carcinogenic at ‘high’ levels, does the interaction of a number of chemicals have a synergistic effect in the causation of other health issues in the unwary drinker. On this point we have no data.
