Two oncologists interviewed by the American magazine Parade left a warning about the daily consumption of coffee creamers. Oncologist Asma Dilawari, medical director at Thyme Care and former medical officer at the FDA, and Jitesh Joshi, oncologist and hematologist at Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospitals, said they do not recommend the habitual consumption of these products, especially in the more processed non-dairy versions. However, the specialists clarified that there is no strong direct evidence that these creamers, food additives, or artificial sweeteners cause cancer.
The oncologists' concern is broader and relates to the cumulative effect of a diet rich in ultraprocessed products and added sugars. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, an agency of the World Health Organization, published in 2023 the results of a study with more than 266,000 people from seven European countries, which found an association between higher consumption of ultraprocessed foods and increased risk of developing cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes simultaneously. Added sugar in coffee can also contribute to weight gain, and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cite an association between obesity and 13 types of cancer.
The specialists emphasized that the warning is not directed at coffee itself. The IARC analyzed more than a thousand studies before concluding that there is insufficient evidence to classify coffee consumption as carcinogenic to humans, having even found lower risks of some tumors, such as liver and endometrial cancer, among consumers. The temperature issue is different: the IARC classified the consumption of very hot drinks, above approximately 65 degrees Celsius, as probably carcinogenic due to the association with esophageal cancer.
For those who do not like drinking plain coffee, the doctors interviewed by Parade suggest less processed alternatives, such as milk, small amounts of cream, or plant-based beverages without added sugars, preferably products with simpler ingredient lists. The recommendation does not mean completely prohibiting a sweeter or creamier coffee, but rather avoiding turning a relatively simple beverage daily into a product loaded with sugar and ultraprocessed ingredients.