Drinking hot tea increases cancer risk

Iranian scientists have found that drinking hot tea increases the risk of esophageal cancer, the British Medical Journal reported.

The study published on Friday said that drinking black tea at temperatures of 70C or higher increased the risk of the cancer, as it damaged the tissues of the throat.

A team led by the Tehran University of Medical Sciences conducted research to study the drinking habits among 300 people diagnosed with the disease in the northern province of Golestan.

The research showed that those drinking hot tea increased the risk as twice while drinking very hot drink could raise the risk to eightfold. The study backed previous findings that hot liquids may cause damage to the throat's epithelial lining and lead to cancer.

The study concluded there was no link between the amount of tea consumed and the risk of cancer but that the speed of drinking was an important factor. Esophageal cancers kill more than 500,000 people worldwide each year.

Tobacco and alcohol are the main factors linked to the development of esophageal cancers in Europe and the American nations.