Billions of cups of hot beverages like coffee and tea are consumed worldwide every day. Can drinking these hot beverages harm our food pipe or the oesophagus? How can we prevent this damage? Can this damage lead to oesophageal cancer? An expert explains it all.
How "hot" is too much hot for our food pipe?
Many foods or drinks we consume are associated with increased cancer risk. Hot beverages are one on the list. Drinking hot drinks regularly can cause damage to the oesophagus. The cells lining the oesophagus get damaged and need to be regenerated and repaired too often. During this process, the normal cells can very rarely convert into cancerous cells.
It should be remembered that the damage is not mainly due to coffee or tea but due to the temperature of the drinks when we swallow. Some studies have used the following cut-offs to categorize hot beverages based on their temperatures.
- 65 degree Celsius - Warm and good enough to drink
- 65 to 69 degree Celsius - Hot
- More than 70 degree Celsius - Too hot to drink
What does the evidence say?
A few studies have evaluated the association between the consumption of hot beverages and the risk of developing oesophageal cancer. A Northern Iranian study (2009), a Chinese study (2018), and a more recent study (2022) conducted by Cambridge University, the UK, have confirmed the increased risk of oesophageal cancer in people consuming hot drinks regularly.
However, this risk depends on additional risk factors for oesophageal cancer, like smoking, drinking alcohol, and suffering from chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease (acidity).
Takeaway points
- If a drink is too hot for your mouth, it is too hot for the oesophagus as well
- Give your hot beverages a few seconds to cool down before drinking.
- Avoid drinking hot beverages regularly and too quickly
- Additional risk factors like GERD or chronic acidity should be addressed to reduce the risk of damage to the food pipe and oesophageal cancer due to hot beverages
If you are looking for a digestive health specialist to diagnose and treat your digestive health issues, visit Bangalore Gastro Centre Hospitals at HSR Layout in Bangalore. It is a state-of-the-art facility that houses top gastroenterologists who will provide top-quality care for digestive conditions ranging from acidity to gastrointestinal cancers.
