NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Drinking hot tea or coffee may increase the risk of esophageal cancer, a new study suggests.
The researchers said that hot water destroys the lining of the mouth and throat that can feed tumors.
The study, which included more than 50,000 people, found that those who drank their drinks hot at 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit) were 90 percent more likely to develop cancer.
This percentage rose to 2.4 in those whose drinking temperature was 75 ° C.
The researchers said their findings on tea applied to other beverages, including coffee or hot chocolate.
The study, published in the International Journal of Cancer, looked at the drinking habits of people between the ages of 40 and 75.
During the follow-up period between 2004 and 2017, 317 new cases of esophageal cancer were identified.
It mainly affects people in their 60s and 70s, and men are more at risk than women.
This is the first study that confirms the link between hot drinks and disease by following a lot of people for a long period of time.
In 2016, the International Agency for Cancer Research - the World Health Organization's cancer agency - classified drinking very hot beverages above 65 degrees Celsius as a possible carcinogen.