Your morning ritual might need a slight adjustment if you prefer your caffeine at scalding temperatures. A massive new study from the University of Oxford has found a significant link between drinking very hot tea or coffee and an increased risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, a specific type of cancer that affects the lining of the esophagus. By tracking nearly one million adults across the UK Biobank and the Million Women Study over more than a decade, researchers discovered that those who consumed their drinks very hot faced roughly three times the risk of developing this cancer compared to those who opted for warm beverages.
The research suggests that volume also plays a role, noting that individuals consuming six or more hot drinks daily saw a 71 percent increase in risk. Lead author Keren Papier explained that while these findings are concerning, they do not suggest that people should give up their favorite brews entirely. Instead, she recommends simply letting drinks cool down before sipping. Experts estimate that if this causal relationship holds true, approximately 14 percent of these specific cancer cases could be avoided simply by lowering the temperature of the liquid hitting the throat.
From a medical perspective, this phenomenon is believed to be caused by repeated thermal injuries. Dr. Aaron Sasson from the Stony Brook Cancer Center likened the process to repeatedly burning your skin; just as a severe burn on the hand can increase the risk of skin cancer in that spot, constant heat irritation in the esophagus may trigger malignant changes in the cells. However, he noted that this particular type of cancer remains relatively rare in the United States, where most esophageal cancers are adenocarcinomas, which were not linked to drink temperature in this study.
Despite the striking numbers, some caution is warranted when interpreting the results because participants self-reported their beverage temperatures rather than using thermometers. Since everyone has a different threshold for what feels hot or warm, there is an inherent lack of objective measurement. Furthermore, doctors emphasize that while cooling your coffee is a helpful precaution, it is far less critical than addressing major risk factors like smoking and heavy alcohol consumption, which remain much more potent drivers of esophageal disease.
