New UK research indicates that regularly consuming very hot beverages, including tea and coffee, may elevate the risk of oesophageal cancer. The study, which involved nearly a million people, is described by researchers as the largest to date to establish this connection.
Individuals who drank their beverages at a "very hot" temperature had approximately three times the risk of oesophageal cancer compared to those who consumed "warm" drinks. Experts, however, emphasise that the overall likelihood of developing this cancer is low.
The Oxford University study, published in the International Journal of Cancer, defines a "very hot" drink as one at 65 degrees Celsius or above. The research also suggests that drinking six or more hot beverages daily increases the risk, based on data from 977,282 middle-aged men and women.
Steaming hot liquid is believed to damage the cell lining of the food pipe as it travels to the stomach. While adding milk can slightly cool drinks, researchers note that milky tea or coffee may still be too hot. The advice is to allow a few minutes for beverages to cool to a safer temperature before drinking.
Cancer Research UK, which funded the study, highlighted that around one or two in every 10 oesophageal cancers might be preventable if people stopped drinking very hot beverages. However, the charity also stressed that not smoking and reducing alcohol intake are the most significant ways to lower the risk of this cancer type.