An international panel of scientists has classified extra hot coffee and tea as “possible”. carcinogens. Here is what you should know.
If you like extra hot coffee , this may be a cause for concern: consuming very hot drinks can increase the risk of cancer of the esophagus , according to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO).
An international panel of 23 scientists reviewed the previous research and cited three key studies suggesting that people who drink coffee or tea at high temperatures are more likely to develop esophageal cancer than people who drink the drinks at a lower temperature.
The researchers are not sure why, but they indicate that very hot drinks can damage the cells of the esophagus .
According to Dr. Mariana Stern, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Southern California and a member of the WHO’s international panel, hot drinks can double the risk of developing esophageal cancer .
However, it’s important to note that a person’s risk of developing esophageal cancer is minimal, at just .5 percent, according to the National Cancer Institute in the United States.
AT WHAT TEMPERATURE DOES YOUR DRINK INCREASE THE RISK OF DEVELOPING CANCER?
Drinks above 65 o C are in the danger zone, according to the WHO report.
Surely you don’t put a thermometer in your morning coffee , so we called the National Coffee Association of the United States to find out the average temperature of a coffee . According to a spokesperson, the industry standard is 60 o C, which is in a safe range.
However, a spokesperson for Mr. Coffee, a brand of coffee makers, assured that their machines heat water between 80 and 85 o C and this temperature will only drop a couple of degrees when touching your cup. So if you drink your coffee immediately, you are probably in the danger zone.
The same for tea: the water boils at 100 o C, so it can be in the WHO bad or good range, depending on how long you let it sit before drinking it.
JUST A MOMENT! ISN’T TEA AND COFFEE SUPPOSED TO BE GOOD FOR HEALTH?
The same WHO report ensures that drinking coffee is linked to a decreased risk of developing liver cancer. Other research suggests that drinking coffee lowers your risk of diabetes, melanoma, heart disease, and stroke.
Likewise, tea can decrease the risk of strokes and heart disease, decrease your blood pressure, increase your brain function and help you lose weight, according to studies in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition .
These benefits are due to compounds found in beverages as antioxidants.
? The important information that we should get out of this report is that the potential risk of developing cancer from drinking hot drinks, such as coffee or tea, has little to do with the drink itself, but with the temperature of the water when you are drinking it? says Dr. Mike Roussell, nutrition consultant for Men? s Health.
It is important to remember that the development of cancer is complex, he says. Many factors play a role, including your genetic information and how much you do in any potentially “risky” activity. like drinking very hot tea.
In summary? ? At this point, I see no evidence to suggest that you should alter your habit of drinking hot beverages, unless you are consuming several hot drinks daily ,? says Roussell. ? In that case, it may be prudent for you to exercise caution and wait for it to cool down a bit before taking it.?