Is Drinking Hot Tea Dangerous?

For most Brits, nothing hits the spot quite like a cup of piping hot tea. From English Breakfast to Earl Grey, the tradition sees the country sip on around 165 million cups a day. But according to the latest research, tea that's too hot can raise the risk of oesophageal cancer. It sounds bizarre, but when combined with excess alcohol consumption, scorching tea can heighten the relative risk by fivefold.

The study was conducted by Chinese researchers and suggests that as well as drinking and smoking, oesophageal cancer is also linked to “burning hot” tea. The results are startling, especially when factoring in survival rate statistics that suggest just 15% of patients live for more than five years after diagnosis. In the UK alone, there are over 9000 new cases diagnosed each year, and approximately 7800 deaths.

Alcohol, cigarettes and hot tea: A deadly combo

While some studies draw on limited data, the team of Chinese researchers garnered results sourced from over 450,000 participants. They were aged between 30 and 79, with data sourced for around nine years. Dr Canqing Yu led the study, which was conducted at the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Ultimately, Yu and his colleagues concluded that when coupled with excess alcohol consumption, hot tea increases the relative risk of developing oesophageal cancer by five times. Similarly, smokers who consume piping hot tea on a daily basis double their risk of developing the disease.

“Compared with participants who drank tea less than weekly and consumed fewer than 15g of alcohol daily, those who drank burning hot tea and 15g or more of alcohol daily had the greatest risk for oesophageal cancer,” reads an excerpt published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

Proving the "thermal injury" theory

While previous research has hinted at the concept of "thermal injury" caused by drinking hot tea, this is the first study to offer solid proof. As a result, the team conclude that “Abstaining from hot tea might be beneficial for preventing oesophageal cancer in persons who drink alcohol excessively or smoke”.

The good news is, experts in the UK stress that Brits don't usually enjoy tea at the same scalding hot temperature as the Chinese.

Andrew Sharrocks, a professor at the University of Manchester explains, “We tend to drink tea at lower temperatures in the west than in China, which is less damaging to the oesophagus. So, although the study might be relevant to populations in the China, it is less relevant in the west in terms of a causative factor."

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