Drinking hot tea or coffee can also cause throat cancer, the truth revealed in research:

News Topical, Digital Desk : If you are also fond of hot tea or coffee, then this news is for you. According to scientists, excessive consumption of very hot beverages can increase the risk of esophageal cancer. Recently, a study conducted by the University of Sydney on about half a million adults in the country confirmed that excessive consumption of very hot beverages (tea and coffee) was directly linked to esophageal cancer.

The study found that people who drank eight or more cups of very hot tea or coffee a day were almost six times more likely to develop this cancer than those who did not drink many hot beverages.

Drinking beverages at high temperatures is in the same category of risk as exposure to indoor wood smoke emissions or eating too much red meat, the researchers said. The study also included cases from South America, where studies found a link between drinking too much metate (which is usually drunk at around 70 degrees Celsius) and a higher risk of esophageal cancer. Similar studies in the Middle East, Africa and Asia have also supported a link between drinking very hot beverages and esophageal cancer.

According to scientists, the risk of cancer may depend on how much hot beverage you drink at once and how quickly. For this, researchers measured the temperature inside the esophagus of people who drank hot coffee at different temperatures.

They found that the size of the sip a person takes has a greater effect than the heat of the drink. A very large sip (20ml) of 65°C coffee raises the temperature inside the oesophagus by up to 12°C. Over time, large sips can lead to continuous heat loss that can damage cells.

While taking a small sip occasionally at this temperature will not cause any long-term problem, but drinking very hot drinks continuously can increase the risk of esophageal cancer. Apart from this, the researchers also talked about the safe temperature of the beverage and the correct way of consuming it. They put 57.8 degrees Celsius in the category of safe temperature, which does not compromise on the taste. Apart from drinking hot drinks slowly or blowing on them, it was also suggested to take small sips.

How hot drinks cause cancer

Drinking very hot drinks can damage cells in the lining of the oesophagus and is thought to lead to the development of cancer over time. Researchers proposed this link nearly 90 years ago. An earlier animal study in 2016 found that rats were given very hot water (70°C) and were comparatively more likely to develop pre-cancerous growths in the oesophagus.