This one habit can put tea-lovers at risk of oesophageal cancer, study shows

A habit, rather dear to tea-lovers, could pose serious health risks. A study has found that drinking scalding hot tea could triple the risk of developing oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

According to a report in The Guardian, cancer experts suggest that people should allow very hot drinks to cool until they are comfortable to drink. Researchers found that both the temperature of drinks and the number of hot drinks consumed were linked to the risk of SCC, one of the two main forms of oesophageal cancer. No similar increase was found for oesophageal adenocarcinoma (AC).

The study, led by Dr Keren Papier, senior nutritional epidemiologist at the University of Oxford’s population health department, analysed hot-drink consumption among almost 980,000 people in the UK. Participants were followed for 14 years.

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Those taking part reported whether they preferred their drinks “very hot”, “hot”, “warm” or did not drink hot drinks. The study therefore relied on participants’ estimates of drink temperature rather than precise measurements.

Researchers found that drinking beverages at a “very hot” temperature was associated with a threefold higher risk of SCC compared with “warm” drinks, after accounting for consumption frequency. After controlling for temperature, people who drank six or more hot drinks a day had a 71% higher SCC risk than those drinking fewer than six.

The findings mirror earlier studies from Asia, Africa, South America and the Middle East, which found that drinking tea or mate at temperatures of 70C or above was associated with a higher risk of oesophageal cancer.

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Hot drinks are thought to increase the risk by causing heat damage to cells lining the oesophagus, also known as the foodpipe. The International Agency for Research on Cancer said in 2016 that hot drinks were “probably carcinogenic to humans” and a probable cause of oesophageal cancer. Smoking and alcohol are also major risk factors.

The researchers said health authorities could encourage people to consume cooler drinks and fewer very hot beverages. They estimated that one in seven SCC cases in the UK could potentially be avoided if people who drank beverages at “very hot” temperatures switched to temperatures described as “hot”.

Cancer Research UK health information head Fiona Osgun said there was no exact cooling time but advised people to wait until a drink was comfortable to consume.

However, Professor Muy-Teck Teh of Queen Mary University of London cautioned that the study’s reliance on self-reported temperatures was a limitation, saying individual sensitivity to heat could complicate interpretation of the findings.