A recent study found that drinking hot coffee might increase the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The study looks at the link between hot drinks and oesophageal cancer.
Ledrom at the University of Oxford led the research, which analyzed data from nearly 980,000 people in the UK who were followed for about 14 years.
Participants shared whether they liked their drinks “very hot,” “hot,” or “warm.”
Scientists found that people who drank “very hot” drinks had almost three times the risk of developing oesophageal SCC compared to those who drank warm drinks.
The risk also depended on how often people drank hot drinks. Those who had six or more hot drinks a day had a 71% higher risk of SCC than people who drank fewer than six.
However, researchers found little link between hot drinks and oesophageal adenocarcinoma (AC), which is the other main type of oesophageal cancer.
Researchers think that very hot drinks might damage the cells lining the oesophagus through repeated heat, which could help cause cancer.
Drinking alcohol and smoking are also major risk factors for oesophageal cancer.
In 2016, the International Agency for Research on Cancer said that very hot drinks are “probably carcinogenic to humans.”
Cancer Research UK suggests that people worried about the risk should let tea and coffee cool until they are comfortable to drink, instead of drinking them while they are very hot.
Muy-Teck Teh, a professor of molecular oral oncology at Queen Mary University of London, said, “A key limitation, however, is that perceived drink temperature is inherently subjective, and it remains unclear whether individuals who tolerate or prefer very hot drinks have altered thermosensation or mucosal sensitivity that might itself reflect underlying biological predisposition to squamous cell carcinoma and lead them to prefer hotter drinks.”
“This possibility cannot be excluded and complicates interpretation of causality,” he added.
Overall, the study suggests that letting very hot tea and coffee cool before drinking is a simple way to reduce exposure to potentially harmful heat.
