Archive · 13 Sep 2026
Study Links Very Hot Drinks to Esophageal Cancer Risk
Researchers studied almost one million adults in the United Kingdom for more than ten years.
They asked people whether they usually drank hot beverages warm, hot, or very hot.
People who drank very hot drinks had a much higher chance of developing one type of esophageal cancer.
People who drank hot drinks also had a higher risk than those who drank warm drinks.
The study suggests that the temperature, rather than whether the drink was coffee or tea, is the important factor.
Very hot liquids may repeatedly irritate or burn the lining of the esophagus.
The temperature was not linked to another major type of esophageal cancer in this study.
Letting a hot drink cool before drinking it may reduce exposure to very high temperatures.
An Oxford University study tracked nearly 980,000 UK adults for more than a decade.
People drinking beverages described as “very hot” had more than triple the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma compared with warm-drinkers.
Those drinking “hot” beverages had a 70% higher risk than people drinking them warm.
Drinking six or more hot beverages daily was associated with a 71% higher risk, while temperature remained the main factor.
The study found no increased risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma from beverage temperature, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies drinks above 149°F (65°C) as probably carcinogenic.
- Who
- Researchers from Oxford University, led by Keren Papier, studied nearly 980,000 adults in the United Kingdom.
- What
- The study examined links between hot-beverage temperature and esophageal cancer, particularly esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
- When
- The findings were published Tuesday, after researchers followed participants for more than a decade.
- Where
- The participants were adults in the United Kingdom, and the research was conducted by Oxford University researchers.
- Why
- The study investigated whether drinking very hot liquids could increase cancer risk through repeated heat-related irritation of the esophagus.
- Study size
- Nearly 980,000 adults
- Follow-up period
- More than a decade
- Very hot drinks
- More than three times the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma versus warm drinks
- Hot drinks
- 70% higher risk versus warm drinks
- Six or more hot drinks daily
- Associated with a 71% higher risk
- Temperature threshold
- The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies drinks above 149°F (65°C) as probably carcinogenic
- Cancer not linked in the study
- Esophageal adenocarcinoma