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A large-scale study has found that people who frequently drink hot tea or coffee have about three times the risk of developing esophageal squamous cell carcinoma compared to those who drink warm beverages.

According to The Guardian on September 9 (local time), a research team at the University of Oxford in the UK published findings in the International Journal of Cancer showing that the temperature and frequency of consuming hot beverages are associated with the risk of developing esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

The researchers analyzed hot drink consumption habits of about 980,000 Britons—the largest study of its kind globally. Participants were tracked over 14 years. They reported how hot they usually drank their beverages, choosing from "very hot," "hot," "warm," or "do not drink hot beverages." The study was based on participants’ self-perceived temperature rather than objective measurements.

The findings showed that those who drank their beverages "very hot" had about triple the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma compared to those who drank them warm. However, this association was not observed with adenocarcinoma (AC), another type of esophageal cancer.

The frequency of consuming hot beverages also mattered. After adjusting for beverage temperature, the study found that people who drank six or more cups of hot beverages per day had a 71% higher risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma than those who drank fewer than six. There was no significant link observed with adenocarcinoma risk.

These results were similar to previous studies conducted in Asia, Africa, South America, and the Middle East. Earlier research found that drinking tea or mate (a caffeinated herbal beverage popular in South America) at temperatures above 70°C significantly increased the risk of esophageal cancer.

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The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) under the World Health Organization (WHO) classified very hot beverages as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" in 2016, identifying them as a potential cause of esophageal cancer.

Very hot drinks are believed to repeatedly damage the cells lining the inside of the esophagus, thereby increasing cancer risk. Additionally, alcohol consumption and smoking are major risk factors for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Based on these findings, the research team advised that people should lower the temperature of their hot beverages and reduce their consumption frequency.

The researchers estimated that about one-seventh of cases of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in the UK could be prevented if people who usually drink their beverages "very hot" reduce the temperature to merely "hot."

The study also found that cancer risk declined noticeably as drink temperature decreased, suggesting that consuming beverages even cooler than commonly consumed could provide further preventive benefit.

Fiona Osgun, health information lead at Cancer Research UK, which supported the research, said it is difficult to specify exactly how many minutes to cool your drink. However, "if you are concerned, it's best to wait until your drink cools to a comfortable temperature before consuming, and avoid drinking it when it is very hot."

Nonetheless, Cancer Research UK clarified it does not recommend that cafes or restaurants serve tea and coffee at lower-than-usual temperatures to reduce esophageal cancer risk.

Muitekh Teh, professor of molecular oral oncology at Queen Mary University of London, cited as a limitation that the study relied on self-reported beverage temperatures. He pointed out that different people perceive "hot" differently, and that those accustomed to or preferring very hot beverages may have differences in heat sensitivity or mucosal sensitivity. He stated, "It is difficult to draw a direct causal conclusion based solely on these results."

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