Long-term drinking of hot tea increases the risk of esophageal cancer

Generally speaking, the recognized cause of esophageal cancer is closely related to smoking and drinking. In fact, hot drinks are also one of the high-risk factors for esophageal cancer. A study shows that people who drink hot tea for a long time are more likely to get esophageal cancer. In this study, the temperature of "hot" tea is defined as above 65 degrees Celsius. When boiling liquid passes through the human esophagus, it will damage the epithelial tissue and easily induce cancer.

Reza Malikzadeh and other researchers from Tehran University of Medical Sciences went to Golestan Province, Iran, where esophageal cancer is most common, to conduct an investigation. The study found that local residents do not smoke or drink a lot, but each person drinks more than 1 liter of hot black tea every day. The researchers compared and analyzed 300 patients diagnosed with esophageal tumors with 571 healthy people and found that compared with those who drink tea below 65 degrees Celsius, those who drink hot tea at 65 to 69 degrees Celsius have a 100% higher risk of esophageal cancer; those who drink hot tea above 70 degrees Celsius have an 800% higher risk of developing esophageal cancer.

In short, it is recommended that you drink hot tea. When drinking tea, you should brew the tea in boiling water for at least 4 minutes and then wait until the water temperature drops slightly before drinking it.