Extensive study warns: Very hot beverages may increase the risk of esophageal cancer

However, the researchers emphasized that the results reveal a statistical correlation and do not prove that very hot beverages directly cause cancer.

The results showed that individuals who prefer very hot beverages had a 3.17 times higher relative risk of developing esophageal squamous cell carcinoma compared to those who prefer warm beverages, after accounting for the rate of beverage consumption.

The relative risk also increased by 69% for people who prefer hot beverages, while those who consume six or more hot drinks daily showed a 71% increase compared to those who consume fewer, after accounting for beverage temperature.

The researchers did not observe significant differences in the relationship between those who prefer tea and those who prefer coffee, nor did it appear that adding milk significantly affects the risks associated with temperature.

These results indicate that beverage temperature may be an important factor alongside the quantity of consumption, although determining the actual magnitude of the effect requires further studies.

The findings align with a warning from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which in 2016 classified the consumption of very hot beverages, exceeding 65 degrees Celsius, as a factor that is potentially carcinogenic to humans.

This classification followed evidence linking the consumption of mate, a popular herbal drink in South America, at high temperatures to an increased risk of esophageal cancer.

Keren Papier, a nutritional epidemiologist at the University of Oxford, stated that international research has long linked the consumption of beverages like mate at very high temperatures to an increased risk of certain types of esophageal cancer, but the extent to which these results apply to tea and coffee drinking habits in Western societies was not as clear.

The study authors estimated that lowering the temperature of beverages from very hot to hot could prevent about 14% of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cases, equivalent to nearly 440 cases annually in the United Kingdom, if the relationship between temperature and cancer risk is proven to be causal.

However, this estimate remains hypothetical and does not represent a confirmed number of cases that could actually be prevented.

An important limitation is that the study did not include direct measurements of the temperature of the beverages consumed by participants, but rather relied on their description of their preferred temperature, such as very hot, hot, or warm.

The researchers noted that the results might mean that temperatures below 65 degrees Celsius could also be associated with increased risk, but this requires further research to determine the relationship more accurately.

The study did not directly test the biological mechanisms responsible for the observed link, but researchers suggested that repeated thermal damage to esophageal tissues is a potential explanation.

Repeated exposure to high heat may damage the mucous membrane lining the esophagus, leading to repeated injuries and inflammation that may contribute to creating conditions for abnormal cellular changes.

This possibility is supported by studies conducted on animals, which showed that drinking water at 70 degrees Celsius was linked to the appearance of precancerous lesions and damage to esophageal tissues, while the same effects were not observed at lower temperatures.

However, the results of animal studies cannot be considered conclusive evidence that the same effect occurs in humans.

In light of the available evidence, some simple precautions can be followed:

Conclusion: An extensive study indicates a link between a preference for very hot beverages and an increased risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, but a causal relationship has not yet been proven. Avoiding very hot liquids remains a reasonable precautionary measure, pending further research that determines the safest temperature and the magnitude of the risks accurately.