'Very hot' coffee and tea linked to higher cancer risk in nearly 1 million adults, tell me about this news in (https://www.foxnews.com/health/very-hot-coffee-tea-linked-higher-cancer-risk-nearly-1-million-adults)
11-09-2026
Here is a summary of the article from Fox News:Key Findings
- The Study: Researchers at the University of Oxford conducted a massive study following nearly one million U.K. adults (drawn from the Million Women Study and the UK Biobank), published in the International Journal of Cancer.
- Higher Cancer Risk: People who drank their beverages “very hot” had about three times the risk of developing esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)cancer arising in the cells lining the esophaguscompared to those who drank them “warm.” Those who drank them “hot” had about a 1.7 times higher risk.
- Volume Matters: Drinking six or more hot beverages per day was linked to a 71% higher risk of SCC.
- Specific Cancer Type: This increased risk applied specifically to squamous cell carcinoma; no link was observed for esophageal adenocarcinoma (AC), which affects the lower esophagus.
- Thermal Injury: Specialists note that scalding or extremely hot liquids cause repeated thermal injury and irritation to the lining of the esophagus, similar to recurring burns on the skin, which can trigger abnormal cell changes.
- Low Baseline Risk: In places like the United States, squamous cell carcinoma accounts for a small portion of esophageal cancers (about 85% are adenocarcinomas), and the lifetime risk of developing SCC is under 1%.
- Bigger Risk Factors: Smoking, heavy alcohol consumption, acid reflux, and obesity remain significantly larger drivers of esophageal cancer.
- Limitations: The study relied on participants self-reporting their preferred temperature (“warm,” “hot,” or “very hot”) rather than objective temperature measurements.
- Advice: Experts and researchers emphasize that people do not need to give up tea or coffee; simply allowing beverages to cool down a bit before drinking can substantially reduce the risk of thermal injury.