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Hot drinks can be too hot and are even linked to cancer

Hot drinks can be too hot and are even linked to cancer
Saralnama

When you order a coffee, do you ask for it to be “extra hot”? Whether you enjoy tea, coffee or something else, hot drinks are a comforting and often highly personal ritual. The exact temperature to brew tea or serve coffee for the best flavour is hotly debated . But there may be something else you’re not considering: your health. Yes, hot drinks can be too hot – and are even linked to cancer. So, let’s take a look at the evidence. There is no evidence for a link between hot drinks and throat cancer and the evidence for a link between hot drinks and stomach cancer is unclear . But there is a link between hot drinks and cancers of the “food pipe” or oesophagus . In 2016, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified drinking very hot beverages, meaning above 65 degrees celsius, as “probably carcinogenic to humans” – this is the same risk category as emissions from indoor wood smoke or eating a lot of red meat. The agency’s report found it was the temperature, not the drinks, that were responsible. This is based mainly on evidence from South America , where studies found a link… (Updated 21 Aug 2025, 23:46 IST; source: link)