Love Your Tea Piping Hot? New Study Warns It Could Raise Cancer Risk

Your daily cup of tea or coffee may need a little more time to cool down.

A new study involving nearly one million people has found that regularly drinking beverages at very high temperatures may increase the risk of oesophageal cancer, a cancer that affects the food pipe connecting the throat to the stomach.

Researchers from the University of Oxford analysed data from 977,282 middle-aged men and women and found that people who regularly consumed drinks described as “very hot” had about three times the risk of developing oesophageal cancer compared with those who drank warm beverages.

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The study, published in the International Journal of Cancer, classified drinks at 65°C or above as “very hot”.

Researchers also found that drinking six or more hot drinks a day was associated with a higher risk.

Very hot liquids can repeatedly burn or irritate the lining of the oesophagus as they pass towards the stomach. Repeated damage to the cells may contribute to changes that can eventually increase cancer risk.

However, researchers stressed that the overall risk remains relatively low.

The findings are also about temperature, not tea or coffee itself. There is no indication that drinking tea or coffee at a comfortable temperature causes the same risk.

Tea poured immediately after boiling can be close to 100°C, while it may still be around 90–95°C after being poured into a cup.

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Researchers therefore suggest allowing hot drinks to cool before drinking them.

Cancer Research UK advises people not to focus on a specific waiting time, but simply to wait until the drink is comfortable to drink rather than consuming it while it is still scalding hot.

Lead researcher Dr Keren Papier said more research is needed to establish the exact temperatures at which the risk begins to increase.

Similar links have previously been observed in studies of very hot beverages such as mate, which is traditionally consumed at high temperatures in parts of South America.

Does this mean drinking hot tea will cause cancer?

No.

Experts stress that oesophageal cancer is relatively uncommon, and drinking a very hot beverage does not mean a person will develop cancer.

Researchers estimate that around one or two in every 10 oesophageal cancer cases could potentially be prevented if people stopped consuming very hot beverages.

Other risk factors are also important. Cancer Research UK points out that smoking and excessive alcohol consumption are much more significant risk factors for oesophageal cancer.

Possible symptoms of oesophageal cancer include persistent heartburn or indigestion, pain in the throat or chest and unexplained weight loss.