Drinking very hot drinks could triple risk of oesophageal cancer, study finds
Research finds temperature and amount of hot drinks consumed heightens possibility of developing disease
TL;DR
- Drinking very hot tea and coffee triples the risk of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).
- The temperature of the drink and the frequency of consumption are key factors in increasing SCC risk.
- Letting hot drinks cool down to a comfortable temperature can reduce the risk of the disease.
- The study analyzed almost 980,000 people in the UK over 14 years.
- Hot drinks do not increase the risk of adenocarcinoma (AC), another form of oesophageal cancer.
- Consuming six or more very hot drinks daily was associated with a 71% increase in SCC risk.
- Previous studies in Asia, Africa, South America, and the Middle East found similar links between hot drinks and oesophageal cancer.
- Health authorities suggest promoting cooler drink consumption to reduce SCC cases.
- A potential limitation is the reliance on self-reported temperatures, which are subjective.