Some of life’s delights, coffee, the
morning transfusion, and sandwiches, the staple of lunch and many breakfasts,
made news this week.
On America’s Left coast, a state
judge in Los Angeles is expected to rule soon whether coffee should be labeled
carcinogenic under California’s 1986 Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement
Act meant to warn Californians of potential harm.
At the University of Manchester in
Great Britain, scientists say sandwiches cause global warming. For everyone’s
enjoyment, they don’t recommend banning them — just changing them.
Research in the British
Journal of Sustainable Production and Consumption says the humble sandwich may
be responsible for the equivalent annual carbon emissions of 8.6 million
vehicles in Great Britain alone.
The global warming alarm stems from
ingredients, with meat in general of course, and pork in particular, along with
cheese, prawns, lettuce and tomatoes getting the bulk of blame. Along with
bread and condiments, these ingredients may account for an estimated 37%-67% of
CO2. Then there is packaging which makes up 8½% of emissions, transportation
(particularly refrigerated trucks) 4% and refrigeration at point of sale
another 25%.
The British Sandwich Association
says the United Kingdom spends $11.3 billion annually on 11.5 billion
sandwiches, half of which are made at home, which produce less CO2. Sandwiches
from shops, supermarkets, kiosks and service stations have the largest CO2
footprint, with packaged, all-day breakfast sandwiches of eggs, bacon and
sausage having the great amount overall because they’re refrigerated until sold
and eaten. The smallest footprint is a homemade ham and cheese sandwich.
Homemade sandwiches potentially halves CO2 emissions.
The Manchester researchers say
changing recipes and packaging and reducing waste could result in a 50% drop in
sandwich related carbon emissions, and reforming the sell-by-date system may
save more than 2,000 tons of sandwiches wasted each year in the UK.
On the coffee front, a Wall Street
Journal story says coffee is on the hot seat because of acrylamide, a
flavorless chemical produced during the roasting process, one of more than 900
chemicals on a list of carcinogens in California said to cause cancer, birth
defects or other reproductive harm. Businesses serving coffee must post warning
of the chemicals under the law, Proposition 65.
The chemical is also used for
industrial processes in making paper and dyes. It’s also created during the
cooking of many baked and fried foods, including potato chips and french fries.
Starbucks and Keurig Green Mountain
say trace amounts of acrylamide in coffee are harmless and outweighed by
coffee’s health benefits.
Other items California deems
carcinogenic are wood furniture, office chairs, ceramic plates, snow globes,
balsamic vinegar, whole leaf aloe vera, leprechaun hats, black licorice, new
cars, cacao nibs, smoked oysters, smoked baby clams, potato chips and french
fries.
While coffee may be harmful, a quick
internet search lists many health benefits. It increases memory, lowers the
risk of Alzheimer’s disease and women who drink two-three cups a day are 15%
less likely to be depressed, according to a 2011 report in the Archives of
Internal Medicine.
Coffee revs metabolism, aiding in
weight loss. Chlorogenic acid in coffee is also linked with lowering glucose
absorption, ensuring sugar is flushed, and coffee lowers diabetes risk by 50%
according to some medical journals, while increasing energy and strengthens endurance.
A study by the Journal of the
American Medical Association says it also helps prevent Parkinson’s disease and
gout in middle-aged men, and a 2005 Harvard study says coffee contains higher
levels of antioxidants than the majority of fruits and vegetables and can
postpone or avert breast cancer in women with a family history of
estrogen-receptor negative breast cancer. Another Harvard study recommends men
drink both caffeinated and decaf coffee to lower the risk of prostate cancer.
Cream and sugar in coffee may cancel
many of its health benefits. Moderation in drinking coffee is also advised.
http://www.carolinacoastonline.com/news_times/article_8752b26a-02ae-11e8-bb1c-479ccc4beea9.html
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