Regularly drinking very hot tea or coffee could triple the risk of developing a specific type of esophageal cancer, according to a large study conducted at the University of Oxford. The research, which analyzed data from nearly one million adults in the United Kingdom, found that individuals who reported drinking beverages "very hot" had approximately three times the risk of developing esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) compared to those who drank warm beverages.
Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is a cancer that begins in the cells lining the esophagus. The study, published in the International Journal of Cancer, also indicated that drinking six or more hot drinks per day was associated with a 71% higher risk of the disease. However, this link was not observed for esophageal adenocarcinoma (AC), which develops in the lower part of the esophagus.
Lead study author Keren Papier, a nutritional epidemiologist at the University of Oxford, stated that compared to those who drank beverages warm, individuals consuming them hot had about a 1.7 times higher risk of SCC, and those drinking them very hot had around a threefold higher risk.
If the observed association reflects a causal relationship, researchers estimate that approximately 14% of SCC cases could potentially be prevented by allowing beverages to cool slightly before consumption. The study's authors acknowledged a key limitation: beverage temperatures were self-reported rather than directly measured. Differences in individual heat tolerance could mean participants classified similar temperatures differently.
Dr. Aaron Sasson, chief of surgical oncology at Stony Brook Cancer Center, confirmed that drinking hot beverages can irritate the esophagus and potentially contribute to cancer development. He explained that repeated thermal injury to the esophagus is comparable to burns on the skin, which can increase the risk of squamous cell carcinoma developing in the affected area.
However, Dr. Sasson noted that in the United States, esophageal adenocarcinomas account for about 85% of esophageal cancers, while squamous cell carcinomas are less common. The lifetime risk of developing SCC of the esophagus in the U.S. is less than 1%. He also reiterated the study's lack of objective temperature measurements as an unknown variable.
"If you are a heavy consumer of hot tea or coffee, maybe you'd want to cool it down a little bit," Dr. Sasson advised. "But I think for practical purposes, for most people, [it’s] not the predominant risk factor for squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus."
Established risk factors for esophageal cancer include smoking, heavy alcohol use, acid reflux, and obesity, according to Dr. Sasson.