Coffee Is it Mutagenic and its Correlation with Cancer

Abstract

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Cancer is when a cell has mutated to where it has lost its function and grows uncontrollably.  There are many different things that can cause cancer, which is why there is so many different types of cancer. One of the things that can cause cancer is carcinogens. Carcinogens are any substance that can result in changing normal cells into cancer cells by a process called carcinogenesis. In the 1970s, a biochemist named Bruce Ames created an assay that can test for mutagens, which is an agent that causes genetic altering in the genome. In his findings, Ames found that coffee has a compound, caffeic acid, which can potentially be mutagenic. With that, there has been studies to see if there is a correlation in coffee consumption and cancer. From the studies, there is mixed results, but since there is no clear evidence that proves that drinking coffee causes cancer, coffee is deemed safe to drink.