How A Hot Cup Of Black Tea Can Cause Cancer

Nothing taste better than drinking a hot cup of tea but do you know that hot tea consumption has been linked to a higher risk for oesophageal cancer?  The risk for esophageal cancer was increased for drinking hot tea versus lukewarm or warm tea.

So, the next time you drink tea, remember this pointers:

• Drinking hot tea, 65-69C - twice the risk of oesophageal cancer
• Drinking tea within 2-3 minutes of it being poured - five times more risky
• Drinking very hot tea, 70C and more - eight times increased risk

However, the act of boiling the water in the preparation of tea is known to kill harmful bacteria in the water and can be beneficial particularly in countries with lower quality drinking water.

The findings were from a group of Iranian scientists. They studied and researched based on these interesting reasons:

1. Most cancers of the oesophagus especially in USA and UK are linked with smoking and alcohol consumptions.
2. There are other places in the world with much higher level of cancers of the oesophagus although lower in alcohol and cigarette consumptions.

These scientists decided to study in a part of Iran which has low rate in alcohol and cigarette consumptions but is one of the highest rates of Oesophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) in the world. OSCC is the most common form of the oesophagus cancer. 300 people that were studied were diagnosed with OSCC and most of the people studied drank black tea everyday, on an average over 1 litre a day.

However, this does not proof that drinking tea at temperature 70C can cause cancer but there is a connection. The best advice is to drink your tea with milk which then tends to cool it enough to reduce the risk.

The main risk factors for oesophageal cancer are smoking and alcohol consumptions. People who want to reduce the risk of such cancer should stop smoking and reduce their alcohol intake.

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