Drinking hot tea may increase the risk of cancer — study

Drinking tea hot may increase cancer risk — study

Regularly consuming drinks like tea and coffee at a very hot temperature increases the risk of esophageal or throat cancer.

This study, which covered nearly one million people, is the largest research showing the link between hot drinks and this disease. Scientists found that the risk of developing cancer in those who drank beverages very hot was about three times higher compared to those who consumed them warm. However, experts emphasize that the overall risk remains low.

Very hot liquid can damage the lining of the esophagus as it travels to the stomach. In the study conducted by the University of Oxford and published in the "International Journal of Cancer", drinks with a temperature of 65 degrees and above were classified as very hot.

An analysis of data on 977,282 middle-aged men and women showed that drinking six or more hot drinks a day also increases the risk. Adding milk can cool the drink slightly, but milk tea or coffee can still potentially be very hot.

The temperature of tea prepared immediately after the water in the kettle has fully boiled is 100 degrees (212 degrees F). Pouring it into a cup reduces the temperature to 90–95 degrees. For this reason, it is recommended to wait a few minutes for the drink to cool down to a safer level.

According to Cancer Research UK, it is difficult to say exactly how long a hot drink should be cooled.

"But if you are worried about this, we advise waiting until it is comfortable to drink, rather than drinking it when it is very hot," the charity said in a statement.

The above study was conducted in South America, where many people consume an extremely hot herbal drink called mate.

"Now, more research needs to be conducted to determine at what temperature drinks increase the risk of cancer," says lead researcher Dr. Keren Papier.

In another study, 118 people repeatedly tasted various black coffees. Most of them rated the coffee as very hot only when the drink's temperature was 70 degrees and above.

According to a coffee cup manufacturing company, the ideal temperature for takeaway hot coffee is between 49–60 degrees. MTPak Coffee says that if a customer orders coffee very hot, it can be served at a temperature above 82 degrees.

Researchers estimate that if people stopped drinking very hot beverages, 1 to 2 out of every 10 cases of esophageal cancer could be prevented. Although hot drinks can increase the risk of cancer, the likelihood of contracting the disease is still low. Other factors, such as smoking and alcohol consumption, also increase the risk of esophageal cancer.