Regular consumption of very hot tea or coffee may increase the risk of esophageal cancer. This conclusion comes from a large study conducted by researchers at the University of Oxford. They found that people who drank beverages ‘very hot’ had nearly three times the risk of developing esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), a cancer that arises in the cells lining the esophagus, compared to those who drank warm beverages.
Drinking six or more hot drinks daily was associated with a 71% higher risk of developing SCC. However, this link did not extend to esophageal adenocarcinoma (AC), which affects the lower part of the esophagus.
“Compared with people who reported drinking their beverages ‘warm,’ those who drank them ‘hot’ had around a 1.7 times higher risk of SCC, while those who drank them ‘very hot’ had around three times higher risk,” shared Keren Papier, a nutritional epidemiologist at the University of Oxford.
The research included nearly one million adults in the U.K., making it the largest study of its kind according to Papier. Participants were drawn from the Million Women Study, followed for an average of 14 years, and the UK Biobank, followed for 11 years.
The findings, published in the International Journal of Cancer, suggest that about 14% of SCC cases could potentially be prevented if people opted for hot rather than very hot drinks. However, a limitation of the study was that beverage temperatures were self-reported, not directly measured. People’s perception of heat varies, leading to differences in classification.
Dr. Aaron Sasson, from Stony Brook Cancer Center in New York, acknowledges the biological plausibility of the findings. He mentioned that consuming very hot liquids may irritate the esophagus and contribute to cancer development. Sasson drew a parallel between repeated exposure to hot drinks and thermal injury, similar to skin damage from a burn.
The study specifically addressed squamous cell carcinomas, not adenocarcinomas. While about 85% of esophageal cancers in the U.S. are adenocarcinomas, squamous cell carcinomas remain relatively rare.
Sasson highlighted the absence of objective temperature measurements as a study limitation. Nonetheless, he advised cooling hot beverages if consumed frequently.
Established risk factors for esophageal cancer include smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, acid reflux, and obesity. Sasson recommended limiting alcohol and quitting smoking as effective preventative measures.
Melissa Rudy, the senior health editor at Fox News Digital, contributed to this article.