The Link Between Hot Beverage Consumption and Esophageal Cancer Risk

Regular consumption of very hot tea or coffee may increase the risk of esophageal cancer, according to a study conducted by the University of Oxford.

Findings on Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

People who reported drinking beverages ‘very hot’ had approximately three times the risk of developing esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) compared to those who consumed warm drinks. SCC begins in the cells lining the esophagus.

Study Details

Consuming six or more hot drinks per day was linked to a 71% higher risk of SCC. However, the study did not find a similar risk increase for esophageal adenocarcinoma (AC), which affects the lower part of the esophagus.

The study included nearly one million U.K. adults, making it one of the largest investigations of its kind. About half of the participants were enrolled through the Million Women Study, followed for an average of 14 years. The rest were part of the UK Biobank, followed for 11 years.

Temperature’s Role and Study Limitations

Keren Papier, a nutritional epidemiologist at the University of Oxford, highlighted that those who drank hot beverages had a 1.7 times higher risk of SCC and a three times higher risk if the beverages were ‘very hot.’ The study appeared in the International Journal of Cancer.

Researchers estimated that around 14% of SCC cases could potentially be prevented if people drank beverages ‘hot’ rather than ‘very hot.’ However, beverage temperatures were self-reported, adding an element of uncertainty, as tolerance for heat varies among individuals.

A limitation of the study was the lack of data on directly measured drink temperatures, which prevents precision in correlating self-reported and actual drink temperatures.

Papier advised cooling down drinks slightly before consumption rather than quitting tea or coffee altogether.

Expert Opinions

Dr. Aaron Sasson from Stony Brook Cancer Center noted that hot liquids can irritate the esophagus, potentially contributing to esophageal cancer development.

Sasson likened drinking very hot beverages to repeatedly burning the esophagus, similar to a burn increasing squamous cell carcinoma risk on the skin.

Sasson stressed evaluating the study in context, as squamous carcinoma rates are low in the U.S. Most esophageal cancers are adenocarcinomas. The lifetime risk of developing esophageal SCC in the U.S. is less than 1%.

Higher temperatures could increase the risk of thermal injury, highlighting the importance of objective measurements for accuracy.

Sasson recommended people who frequently consume hot drinks consider cooling them but noted other risk factors pose greater threats. These include smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, acid reflux, and obesity.

Reducing alcohol and eliminating smoking significantly benefit esophageal health.