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Very Hot Drinks Linked to Increased Risk of Esophageal Cancer, Study Suggests
Confirmed
In Short: Regularly drinking very hot beverages like tea and coffee may increase the risk of esophageal cancer, according to UK research.
UK research suggests that regularly drinking very hot beverages such as tea and coffee can increase the risk of esophageal cancer, also known as oesophageal cancer, according to the BBC and Fox News.
The study, published in the International Journal of Cancer, found that people who consumed drinks at 65 degrees Celsius or above had a three times higher risk of developing the cancer compared to those who drank warm beverages.
Consuming six or more hot drinks per day also raises the risk, based on data from 977,282 middle-aged men and women, according to the BBC and El Mundo America.
Experts warn that very hot liquids can damage the cell lining of the food pipe, as they pass to the stomach, potentially leading to cancer, as reported by El Mundo America and Fox News.
What's confirmed
- In the study, people who had their drinks "very hot" had around a three times higher risk of the cancer than "warm" tea or coffee drinkers - although experts stress the overall chances of developing this cancer are low.
- The work by Oxford University, which is published in the International Journal of Cancer, defines any drink at 65 degrees Celsuis or above as "very hot" and posing a potential risk.
- Consuming six or more hot drinks per day also raises the risk, according to data from 977,282 middle-aged men and women.
What's still developing
- Although adding milk can cool drinks down slightly, a milky tea or coffee may still be far too hot, researchers say.
- Cancer Research UK says it's difficult to put an exact time on how long a hot drink should be left to cool.
- "But if you're worried, we'd suggest just waiting until it's comfortable to drink rather than drinking it while it's still very hot," the charity said.
- Dr. Aaron Sasson, chief of surgical oncology and co-director of the gastrointestinal oncology team at Stony Brook Cancer Center in New York, said it’s been known that drinking hot beverages or liquids can be irritating to the esophagus and that it could contribute to the development of esophageal cancer.