New research says that “very hot” and “hot” drinks may increase your risk of developing a certain kind of esophageal cancer
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NEED TO KNOW
- Drinking very hot beverages may triple the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, a study of 977,000 people found
- The risk is linked to drink temperature, not the type of beverage, with “very hot” defined as approximately 149 degrees
- Thermal injury from hot drinks may cause chronic inflammation, increasing cancer risk alongside factors like smoking and alcohol use
Hot beverages may increase your risk of developing a certain type of cancer, new research says.
People who preferred their tea or coffee “very hot” had a threefold risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus than those who preferred their drinks warm — according to an expansive study of more than 977,000 people published in the International Journal of Cancer. Those who liked their drinks “hot” were noted to have twice the risk of cancer.
“International research has shown for some time that drinking beverages like mate at very high temperatures, as is typical in South America, is linked to increased risk of certain [esophageal] cancers,” Dr. Keren Papier, lead researcher and senior nutritional epidemiologist at Oxford Population Health, said in a press release from Cancer Research UK. “What was less clear was whether this also applied to the temperatures at which hot drinks are usually consumed in Western populations.”
Credit: Getty
The risk applies to the temperature of the drink — and not the drink itself. Researchers note that a “very hot” beverage is approximately 149 degrees, whereas a “hot” drink is 140 degrees. However, for this study, the participants self-reported how they like their drinks.
If the participants drank six or more beverages a day, their risk of developing esophageal squamous cell carcinoma was increased by 71% — regardless of whether they drank them “hot” or “very hot.”
The leading theory is that the temperature causes “thermal injury,” per the National Library of Medicine, which can lead to chronic inflammation and the creation of cancer-causing chemicals. It could also damage the protective barrier, leaving the esophagus more susceptible to known carcinogens like tobacco.
And as Fiona Osgun, head of health information at Cancer Research UK, said, “The most important ways to reduce the risk of this cancer type are not smoking and cutting down on alcohol.”
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