Very hot drinks linked to tripled risk of esophageal cancer in major Oxford study

Drinking tea or coffee at very hot temperatures may triple the risk of developing esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), according to a study led by the University of Oxford. Published in the International Journal of Cancer, the research analyzed data from nearly 980,000 participants in the UK, making it the largest study of its kind to date. The findings indicate that individuals who preferred their drinks very hot had a 3.17 times greater risk of developing SCC compared to those who drank them warm. Additionally, consuming six or more hot drinks per day was associated with a 71 percent increase in SCC risk, regardless of the temperature.

Researchers hypothesize that the increased risk is caused by direct thermal injury to the mucosa of the esophagus, which compromises tissue integrity and may allow other carcinogenic agents to stimulate cancer. The study noted that this risk specifically applies to squamous cell carcinoma and does not appear to affect adenocarcinoma, another form of esophageal cancer. While the International Agency for Research on Cancer previously classified beverages above 65 degrees Celsius as probably carcinogenic, the Oxford study suggests that 14 percent of SCC cases in the UK could be avoided if people switched from very hot to hot temperatures.

Experts from Cancer Research UK, which funded the study, suggest that people should let their drinks cool until they are comfortable to drink or add cold milk to reduce the risk. They also emphasized that avoiding smoking and reducing alcohol consumption remain the most important ways to lower the risk of this cancer. While the study provides clear evidence of a correlation, some reports note that the overall lifetime risk of being diagnosed with SCC in the UK remains relatively low at approximately 1 percent.