Regularly drinking tea, coffee or other beverages very hot is linked to a higher risk of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma, according to a study by researchers at Oxford Population Health, University of Oxford, published on 8 September 2026 and funded by Cancer Research UK. The team analysed drinking habits reported by around 980,000 UK adults across two long-running cohorts, UK Biobank and the Million Women Study, making it the largest UK population study to look at the question. People who described their hot drinks as "hot" had around 1.7 times the risk of this cancer compared with those who drank them warm, while people who described them as "very hot" had around three times the risk. Drinking six or more hot drinks a day was linked to higher risk than drinking fewer than six. The researchers noted that the overall chance of developing this cancer remains low.
What counts as "very hot" and what the study could not measure
The International Agency for Research on Cancer classified beverages above 65°C as "probably carcinogenic" in 2016, while tea and coffee in Western countries are typically drunk at around 60°C. Dr Keren Papier, the study's lead researcher, said it was "the largest study to look at that question in a UK population, where many people drink tea and coffee daily." The study relied on self-reported drinking-temperature preference rather than measured liquid temperature, and found no clear effect on the other main type of oesophageal cancer, adenocarcinoma. The researchers called for further work to pin down the exact temperature at which risk begins to rise.
What this means for you
The findings do not suggest tea or coffee themselves are harmful, only that drinking them scalding hot may irritate the lining of the food pipe over many years. The researchers did not test whether waiting for a drink to cool changes that risk, but the study adds to a wider pattern of everyday, evidence-based choices covered on Perqen's FAQs page.
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This article reports published news and research and is for information only. Food supplements are not a substitute for a varied diet or medical care, and no product mentioned is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Speak to your GP or pharmacist before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking prescribed medicines.