Oxford Study Links Hot Drinks to Oesophageal Cancer

The researchers class any drink at 65 degrees Celsius or above as very hot, the threshold at which the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) deems drinks probably carcinogenic. Heat is thought to damage the cells lining the upper food pipe, and the margins are narrow: tea from a freshly boiled kettle is close to 100C and still around 90C in the cup, so a splash of milk cools it only slightly. Dr Keren Papier, who led the work, said comparable links had emerged in South America, where many drink a scalding herbal infusion called mate, but it was unclear whether the finding held for Western habits. Importantly, the team never measured actual temperatures, relying on what participants said they preferred, and no raised risk appeared for adenocarcinoma, the other main type of oesophageal cancer.

The authors estimate that roughly 14 per cent of British cases each year could be averted if people simply let their drinks cool. Around 9,500 people in the United Kingdom are diagnosed annually and 7,900 die; only about one in five survives five years, partly because early symptoms are mistaken for indigestion. Cancer Research UK said the overall risk remains relatively low and advises waiting until a cup is comfortable to sip; its head of health information, Fiona Osgun, stressed that not smoking and drinking less alcohol matter more. Professor Muy-Teck Teh of Queen Mary University of London urged caution, noting that perceptions of "hot" vary and that the study shows an association rather than proof of cause.