If you are fond of having your cup of tea or coffee very hot, there may be some reason for you to worry.
A recent study, available on PubMed, has found a link between the drinking of hot beverages like hot water, tea, and coffee and the risk of oesophagal cancer.
Alcohol had earned a bad reputation for a long time for sending fat levels and blood pressure levels spiralling and increasing the risk of deadly diseases. However, as it turns out, even tea and coffee are linked with a risk of oesophagal cancer in people.
The findings
The oesophagus is a hollow tube that functions as a carrier of liquids, saliva, and chewed-up food from the mouth to your stomach. Cancer of the oesophagus or oesophagal cancer results from the growth of tumour cells in the oesophagus or the lining of the oesophagus change.
Drinking very hot beverages like hot water, tea or coffee might increase your risk of oesophagal cancer. Mostly seen as healthy beverages when they are had in limited quantities, tea, and coffee could raise disease risk with their caffeine and antioxidant content. However, having the brew too hot can damage the oesophagus and triple cancer risk. To reduce your risk, allow the drink to cool before you take the first sip. It is shown that people who preferred warm brews had a 2.7 times higher risk and those preferring very hot brews are 4.1 times more prone to cancer.
Very hot beverages are likely to damage the lining of the oesophagus causing it to become vulnerable to the entry of other cancer-causing substances like alcohol and cigarette smoke.
Other risk factors of oesophagal cancer
Drinking hot tea or coffee alone doesn’t cause cancer. Along with regularly drinking hot tea or coffee, if you have other risk factors like drinking alcohol and smoking, you may be at a higher risk of getting oesophagal cancer.
Tips to reduce cancer risk
To help lower your risk of some types of cancers, it is essential to adopt a combination of lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking, limiting alcohol, and not to forget, allowing beverages to cool before you drink.
In addition, a healthy and balanced diet, regular exercise, and relaxation techniques like yoga and meditation are known to lower your risk of disease.
