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Common coffee and tea habit linked to higher risk of specific type of cancer
New York Post • • health
Key Points:
- A large University of Oxford study found that regularly drinking very hot tea or coffee is linked to about a threefold increased risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), compared to drinking warm beverages.
- Consuming six or more hot drinks daily was associated with a 71% higher risk of SCC, but no similar association was found for esophageal adenocarcinoma (AC).
- The study analyzed nearly 1 million UK adults over 11-14 years and estimated that 14% of SCC cases might be preventable if people avoided drinking beverages “very hot.”
- Researchers noted the main limitation was reliance on self-reported drink temperatures, which may vary due to individual heat tolerance, and advised letting hot drinks cool before consumption.
- An external expert highlighted that while the findings are biologically plausible, other factors like smoking, alcohol use, acid reflux, and obesity are more significant risk factors for esophageal cancer, particularly adenocarcinoma, which is more common in the US.
