Almost a million Britons were followed for about 12 years in a study published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Study participants were asked to estimate, based on their own judgment, whether they drank their tea or coffee “very hot”, “hot”, “warm”, or whether they did not drink hot beverages.
One conclusion is that consuming “very hot” tea or coffee is associated with a threefold greater risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus, compared with consuming only “hot” beverages.
The risk of esophageal cancer is small, but drinking a beverage that is too hot can damage the cells in the lining. Letting the drink cool slightly reduces the risk of cancer, the researchers write.
