Question from Terri
Hi Debra,
Hello, my name is Terri. I’m in quite the conundrum, should I stop drinking coffee or not. Does coffee have toxins such as metals. Does Tea have metal toxins Does organic tea have metal toxins. Or even other toxins I should worry about. Any help I would love. Thank you.
Debra’s Answer
In my opinion, it’s OK to drink organic coffee. I drink it occasionally, not every morning.
Recently the World Health Organization (WHO) reversed their position on coffee.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) had previously rated coffee as “possibly carcinogenic” but has changed its mind.
It’s latest review, however, found “no conclusive evidence for a carcinogenic effect” of coffee drinking and pointed to some studies showing coffee may actually reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer
At the same time, IARC presented other scientific evidence which suggests that drinking anything very hot—around 149 degrees Fahrenheit or above—including water, coffee, tea and other beverages—probably does cause cancer of the oesophagus.
If you are going to drink coffee, organic is best, to avoid the toxic pesticides, and decaffeinated is even better.
Read this pros-and-cons article on the health effects of coffee.
Here’s the info on toxics in tea: Q&A: Tea Steeped in Toxics
And I would always make organic coffee or tea with filtered water.
Thanks, Debra, great compilation and summary. FYI, Starbucks coffee is not organic but the water is triple filtered for all their drinks, but only in the separately built out Starbucks stores (not the small Starbucks cafes within a larger store such as TARGET or SAFEWAY.)
After reading your reply, I realized that I wasn’t even thinking about coffee that you might buy already made, but rather making it yourself. I make mine at home.