(Image source from: Beware of Sodas you drink})

Between 44% and 58% of people over the age of 6 could be unnecessarily increasing the cancer risk by drinking a can of soda daily, as per the researchers from the John Hopkins Centre.
Soda makers often add caramel coloring to give colas and root beer their brownish color. This process can produce a possible amount of carcinogen called 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI).

"Soft drink consumers are being exposed to an avoidable and unnecessary cancer risk from an ingredient that is being added to these beverages simply for aesthetic purposes," said Dr. Keeve Nachman, a study author.

Researchers collected soda consumption data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to analyze the 4-MEI levels in 110 soft drink samples purchased in California and the New York metropolitan area. It was found that most sodas contained 3.4 microgram to 352.5 micrograms of 4-MEI per 12 serves.

The 4-MEI levels varied in samples of the same type of soda.

“For example, for diet colas, certain samples had higher or more variable levels of the compound, while other samples had very low concentrations,” said Tyler Smith, the lead author of the Johns Hopkins study.

Researchers urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to set maximum levels for the chemical byproducts in beverages.

-Smrutirekha