Over 20 years ago, the International Agency for Research on Cancer claimed drinking coffee was a ‘possible cause of cancer’ but following a review of research has now found insufficient evidence to say as such.
The Daily Mail is now reporting that coffee will be reclassified in the WHO rankings, from Group 2B for substances classified as ‘possibly carcinogenic to humans’, to Group 3, for substances where there is now evidence of a link to cancer.
The previous ranking wasn’t a concern for too many, as recent research found the UK coffee shop market grew 6% in 2015 and sales have boomed over the past five years to £2.317bn.
Three quarters of Brits (74%) buy hot drinks out-of-home and over 2 billion cups of coffee are consumed every day around the world.
The European Food Safety Authority still warns that drinking more than four cups of coffee a day could be damaging to health.