Drinking hot tea long-term is not good for the throat
According to an academic study published in the British Medical Journal: People who prefer to drink very hot tea have a greater risk of throat cancer compared to those who prefer to drink cooler tea.
Esophageal cancer is considered to be particularly associated with smoking and excessive drinking, however, hot beverages have also been considered as one of the factors for the disease, possibly due to the damage it causes to throat tissue.
Out of interest in finding more information on this matter, Iranian researchers went to Golestan province, one of the places with the highest incidence of esophageal cancer in the world.
The residents there drink large amounts of hot black tea, often consuming more than a liter (1.8 pints) per person per day, while they also occasionally use tobacco and alcohol.
A group led by Reza
Malekzadeh from the Digestive Diseases Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, observed 300 people who had already been diagnosed with throat tumors and compared them with a group of 571 healthy people living in the same area.
Compared to those who drank warm or cold tea (tea temperature of 65°C or lower), those who drank hot tea (tea temperature of 65°C-69°C) had twice the chance of developing throat cancer.
And for those who drank very hot tea (at least 70°C), the chance of getting the disease was eight times higher compared to those who drank warm or cold tea.
The Lancet journal explains that this study provides evidence that extremely hot liquids can cause damage to the epithelial membrane of the throat and lead to cancer, although the exact process of how this happens is still not clear.
However, it also clarifies that there is no such risk for people who are used to drinking moderately hot tea during picnics. An earlier study in the UK had reported that the most suitable average temperature is 56-60°C.