Most of us have taken a rushed sip of tea or coffee while it’s still too hot to drink – and paid the price with a burnt tongue. But what if that wasn’t the only consequence?
A new study involving almost one million people has linked regularly drinking very hot tea or coffee with a higher risk of oesophageal cancer, which affects the food pipe (oesophagus).
So, should you let your cuppa cool before taking that first sip? Here's what you need to know.
What the study found
Researchers from Oxford University, who published their findings in the International Journal of Cancer, analysed data from almost 980,000 UK adults.
They found that people who regularly drank beverages had around a threefold higher risk of developing oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) than those who drank their tea or coffee warm.
The researchers also found that drinking six or more hot beverages a day was associated with a higher risk. Although adding milk cools tea or coffee slightly, researchers note that many drinks can still exceed 65°C.
What to Read Next
But what is ‘too hot’? Back in 2016, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified drinking beverages above 65C as 'probably carcinogenic’ to people.
‘International research has shown for some time that drinking beverages like mate at very high temperatures, as is typical in South America, is linked to increased risk of certain oesophageal cancers,’ said Dr Keren Papier, lead researcher and senior nutritional epidemiologist at Oxford Population Health.
‘What was less clear was whether this also applied to the temperatures at which hot drinks are usually consumed in Western populations.’
How worried should you be?
Before you panic about your morning brew, it's important to put the findings into perspective.
According to Cancer Research UK, oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma is relatively uncommon in the UK, with around a 1% lifetime risk of diagnosis. So although the relative risk was higher among people drinking very hot beverages, the absolute risk remains low.
It's also worth remembering that this was an observational study. It identified an association rather than proving that very hot drinks directly caused the cancer. More research is needed to understand exactly how temperature may influence risk.
2 proven ways to reduce your risk
While the evidence around hot drinks continues to evolve, there are already well-established ways to lower your risk of oesophageal SCC.
‘The most important ways to reduce the risk of this cancer type are not smoking and cutting down on alcohol,’ says Fiona Osgun, head of health information at Cancer Research UK.
The bottom line
‘This is now the largest study to look at that question in a UK population, where many people drink tea and coffee daily,’ said Papier. ‘It adds to existing evidence that drinking very hot drinks could increase the risk of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma.’
Importantly, the researchers did not find that tea or coffee themselves increased cancer risk. The association was with the temperature of the drink, rather than the drink itself.
If you're concerned, the takeaway is simple: let your tea or coffee cool for a few minutes before taking that first sip.
With a decade in journalism – in print, online and social – at national newspapers and lifestyle magazines, Alice has tackled just about everything when it comes to health and fitness. A former competitive swimmer, sport has shaped her life from a young age, leading her to take on marathons, an Ironman 70.3, and even cycle up Alpe d’Huez. From sweat-testing the latest (and weirdest) fitness fads to living off a diary-free, meat-free, caffeine-free, fun-free diet at an extreme Ayurvedic retreat in Sri Lanka, she’s tried it all – always in pursuit of peak performance and, of course, a great story.
Alice began her career with a five-year stint at The Telegraph, where she wrote for the Telegraph Magazine's ‘Worth leaving the sofa for?’ fitness column and was the face of the Telegraph running newsletter, documenting her journey over 16 weeks training for the London Marathon. She worked as the Special Reports Commissioning Editor and as a Lifestyle Commissioning Editor before stepping into the world of freelance journalism.
As a freelance lifestyle writer, her work appeared in Women’s Health, Elle, Stylist, Grazia, The Independent, Glamour, Marie Claire, Glorious Sport, The Metro, Conde Nast Traveller, Country and Town House, Queen of Retreats and The Wedding Edition.
In 2022, Alice joined Hearst Magazines as Runner’s World’s Commissioning Editor and now oversees food content as Women’s Health’s Nutrition Editor. With a ‘food first’ ethos, she is here to help you decipher exactly which foods will support your health, and which macro-counting, pasta-replacing, intermittent-fasting, 13-day cleanse is just, well, a scam. A keen baker and host, she firmly believes that no dessert beats a pavlova – especially when topped with summer berries and a generous helping of whipped cream. Delish.
You can keep up with her latest adventures on Instagram at @al_barraclough.
