Drinking very hot coffee or tea may increase a person's chance of developing oesophageal cancer, according to research reported by RTL.nl on Friday. The Dutch broadcaster's coverage states that very hot beverages are linked to a greater risk of the disease.
Other Dutch outlets carried the same finding. NU reported that consuming very hot coffee or tea can triple the risk of oesophageal cancer, and bnr.nl said the chance may be up to three times higher for people who drink a lot of hot coffee or tea. Vietnam.vn also covered the research, stating that hot drinks triple the risk.
The reports focus on beverages served at very high temperatures rather than on coffee or tea themselves. The coverage does not specify the size of the study, the population examined or the exact temperature threshold involved, and no full article text was available beyond the headlines and summaries.
Oesophageal cancer affects the tube that carries food from the throat to the stomach. The outlets frame the finding as a risk factor, not a certainty, meaning that drinking hot beverages is associated with a higher chance of the disease rather than directly causing it in every case.
The reports do not include guidance on how long to wait before drinking a hot beverage, nor do they name the researchers or the journal involved.
Watch for the publication of the full study, including its methodology and temperature guidelines, which would clarify how hot is too hot and how large the added risk is for regular drinkers.
