Drinking very hot drinks might cause esophageal cancer, says study
What's the story
A recent study has revealed that consuming very hot tea and coffee can significantly increase the risk of developing esophageal cancer. The research, the largest of its kind to date, found that drinking such beverages at high temperatures can triple the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). However, it was noted that this does not apply to adenocarcinoma (AC), another form of esophageal cancer.
Research findings
Temperature and frequency matter
The study, published in the International Journal of Cancer, emphasized the role of both drink temperature and consumption frequency in increasing SCC risk.
"Consumption of drinks at a 'very hot' versus 'warm' temperature was associated with a threefold greater SCC risk but not with AC risk," it said.
The research also found that daily consumption of six or more hot drinks as opposed to fewer than six was linked to a 71% increase in SCC risk.
Participant details
Study conducted on nearly a million people
The study was conducted on nearly 980,000 people in the UK, making it the largest such study in the world.
The participants were monitored over 14 years to get a comprehensive understanding of their drinking habits and health conditions.
They were asked how they preferred their hot drinks - options included "very hot," "hot," "warm," or "do not drink hot drinks."
Global perspective
Similar results in other studies
The study's results for a Western European population were similar to previous studies in Asia, Africa, South America, and the Middle East.
These studies had also found that drinking tea or mate (a South American herbal drink) at or above 70 degree Celsius increased the risk of esophageal cancer.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer had classified hot drinks as "probably carcinogenic to humans" back in 2016.
Prevention strategies
One in seven cases could be avoided
The researchers behind the study suggested that public health authorities could use these findings to promote drinking cooler beverages and reducing consumption of very hot drinks.
They estimated that one in seven cases of SCC in the UK "could be avoided if individuals who reported consuming their drinks at a 'very hot' temperature instead consumed them at a temperature more representative of the temperature range described as 'hot.'"