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Study Links Hot Drinks to Food Pipe Cancer

healthSep 10, 2026·298 words·3 min read

Researchers at the University of Oxford have found that people who like their tea and coffee very hot are much more likely to get cancer of the food pipe. The study, in the International Journal of Cancer, was paid for by Cancer Research UK. It followed almost 980,000 middle-aged British adults for more than ten years.

Scientists call a drink "very hot" at 65 degrees Celsius or hotter. Doctors think the heat hurts the cells in the food pipe. Tea from a boiled kettle is nearly 100 degrees, and about 90 degrees in the cup. A little milk does not cool it much. The team did not measure the real temperature. They asked people how hot they liked their drinks.

The study says about 14 per cent of British cases could be stopped if people let drinks cool first. About 9,500 people in the United Kingdom get this cancer each year and 7,900 die. Cancer Research UK said the risk is still quite low. It told people to wait until a cup is comfortable. One expert warned that the study shows a link, not proof.

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