Drinking tea or coffee when it is very hot can raise your risk of cancer. A large study found that people who drink very hot beverages are three times more likely to get one type of foodpipe cancer than people who drink warm beverages. The foodpipe is the tube that carries food and drink from the mouth to the stomach.
Very hot liquids can damage the cells that line the foodpipe over time. Researchers found that both the temperature of the drink and how often people drink it increase the danger. People who drank six or more hot drinks every day had a much higher risk of cancer than people who drank fewer hot drinks.
Health experts say people do not need to stop drinking tea or coffee. Instead, people should wait a few minutes and let their drinks cool down until they are comfortable to drink. Experts estimate that letting hot drinks cool down could prevent one out of seven cases of this cancer.