Drinking hot tea ‘can increase risk of oesophageal cancer’

Drinking tea at very high temperatures can significantly increase the risk of oesophageal cancer in certain people, according to a new study.

Researchers for the National Natural Science Foundation of China and National Key Research and Development Programme surveyed the health and habits of 456,155 people aged 30 to 79, suggesting that tea-drinking may be playing a role in the rising prevalence of oesophageal cancer in China.

A synergistic association was found between hot tea drinking and an elevated risk of oesophageal cancer among people who also smoked or consumed excessive amounts of alcohol.

Participants who drank high-temperature tea, consumed alcohol excessively and smoked had an oesophageal cancer risk more than five times greater than those with none of those three habits. This risk was not present among those who did not smoke or drink to excess.

This suggests that chemical compounds and adverse thermal effects associated with hot tea can potentially lead to cancer among those already at risk, and that future efforts to tackle oesophageal cancer should take this into account.

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