Researchers analyzing data from nearly 980,000 UK participants have identified a significant association between consuming very hot beverages and developing oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), according to findings published in the International Journal of Cancer. The study, led by Dr Keren Papier at the University of Oxford’s population health department, represents the largest investigation of this relationship conducted to date.
The research tracked participants over 14 years and examined their hot drink consumption patterns alongside health outcomes. Results indicated that drinking beverages at a “very hot” rather than “warm” temperature was associated with a threefold greater SCC risk. Additionally, daily consumption of six or more hot drinks versus fewer than six was linked to a 71% increase in SCC risk. However, the analysis found no heightened risk for adenocarcinoma (AC), the other primary form of oesophageal cancer. The conclusions were based on participants’ self-reported temperature preferences rather than exact measurements of drink temperatures.
The UK findings align with previous research conducted in Asia, Africa, South America, and the Middle East, which identified elevated oesophageal cancer risk from beverages consumed at or above 70 degrees Celsius. The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classified hot drinks as “probably carcinogenic to humans” in 2016. Scientists theorize that the heat damages cells lining the oesophagus. The study team suggested that one in seven cases of SCC in the UK could potentially be prevented if individuals consuming very hot drinks instead opted for drinks at the temperature range described as “hot.”
Cancer experts and health authorities recommended allowing hot beverages to cool to a comfortable drinking temperature to reduce disease risk. Fiona Osgun from Cancer Research UK, which funded the study, advised waiting until drinks are comfortable rather than consuming them while very hot, though the charity does not advocate for commercial establishments to alter serving temperatures. Some researchers noted limitations in the study’s reliance on self-reported temperature perceptions, suggesting that individual differences in heat tolerance could complicate interpretation of causality.
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