Drinking tea and coffee too hot puts you at risk of esophageal cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer suspects this and classifies very hot drinks as “probably carcinogenic”. How to drink coffee and tea without risk!
Coffee has long been suspected of being one of the possible risk factors for bladder cancer. The International Cancer Research Agency IARC has now refuted this assumption: In an article for the journal The Lancet Oncology, scientists from the institute presented new study results according to which coffee is classified in category 3, i.e. “not classified”.
But the institute, which only a few months ago classified sausage and red meat as carcinogenic, warns in the same article against consuming coffee and tea that is too hot. Fluids above 65 degrees, the researchers said, increased the risk of developing esophageal cancer. The agency bases its assumption on the number of people suffering from esophageal cancer worldwide. For example, in countries like Argentina, where the common mate tea is drunk almost boiling hot, there are more cases of esophageal cancer than in England, where the classic nine o’clock tea usually has a temperature of only 60 degrees Celsius. It is assumed that liquids that are too hot can injure the esophagus and thus promote the development of cancer.
Since the IARC only gives a general assessment of whether a product is carcinogenic or not, no statement is made as to how much the risk of cancer increases from the consumption of very hot drinks. According to the German Cancer Society, esophageal cancer is a rather rare type of cancer in Germany with 11,000 cases per year. For comparison: 71,700 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year.
Do not drink coffee and tea scalding hot
Smoking and alcohol consumption is still the greatest risk factors for esophageal cancer. However, as a preventative measure, it is advisable to let the coffee and tea cool down for a moment before drinking them and to refrain from consuming hot drinks through a straw.
