Study links very hot tea and coffee to higher oesophageal cancer risk in the UK
A large UK study funded by Cancer Research UK finds that drinking very hot beverages raises the chance of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma, though overall risk remains low.
The most extensive investigation to date into drink temperature and cancer, financed by Cancer Research UK, analysed nearly one million UK adults by merging the UK Biobank and Million Women Study datasets. Participants who reported drinking hot beverages faced about 1.7 times higher odds of oesophageal cancer than warm-drink consumers, and the risk rose to roughly threefold for those who drank them at very high temperatures.
Drinking six or more hot drinks daily also elevated risk relative to lower consumption. While the study did not record exact temperatures, it aligns with the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s classification of drinks above 65 °C as probably carcinogenic. Researchers advise simple measures such as allowing drinks to cool or adding cold milk, and stress that avoiding smoking and reducing alcohol intake are the most effective ways to lower oesophageal cancer risk. The temperature effect was observed for squamous cell carcinoma but not for adenocarcinoma, and overall incidence of oesophageal cancer in the UK remains about 9,500 cases per year.
