Suggestion of an Association Between Drinking Hot Beverages and Esophageal Cancer Risk

Researchers at the University of Oxford in the UK, after tracking about 980,000 adults for an average of 14 years, found that the habit of drinking coffee and tea very hot may be associated with an increased risk of esophageal cancer. According to the study, people who said they drank beverages very hot had about three times the risk of developing esophageal squamous cell carcinoma compared with those who drank them warm, and those who drank six or more hot beverages a day had a 71% higher risk than those who drank fewer than six. However, there was no clear association for esophageal adenocarcinoma. The researchers interpreted this as repeated heat exposure potentially damaging the esophageal lining and causing inflammation, which could affect cancer risk. However, they explained that the findings were based on an observational study and that it cannot be concluded that hot drinks are a direct cause of esophageal cancer.