If you enjoy sipping on that steaming hot cup of tea, think twice. New research establishes a link between drinking tea at very high temperatures and oesophageal cancer. According to a report in the International Journal of Cancer, researchers deem drinking hot tea as a risk factor for oesophageal cancer. Other risk factors include being above the age of 55, eating a diet high in processed meats and low in fruits and vegetables, and having acid reflux.

Researchers at the Cancer Surveillance Research Centre at the American Cancer Society studied tea drinking habits of over 50,000 people in the age group of 40–75 years. They clinically followed the participants for an average period of 10.1 years. During this time, 317 people developed oesophageal cancer.

Researchers divided tea temperature into ‘very hot’ — meaning a temperature of over 60°C, and ‘cold or lukewarm’, that is, a temperature that is or falls below 60°C. Overall, the study found that drinking 700 ml of ‘very hot’ tea per day increased the chances of oesophageal cancer by 90 per cent compared with drinking the same daily amount of cold or lukewarm tea.

Researchers also suggest that regularly drinking very hot liquids might also raise the risk of oesophageal cancer.

Photo: iStock.com
April 2019