Very Hot Tea Linked to Higher Oesophageal Cancer Risk

Research cited by IARC links beverages consumed above 65°C with an increased risk of oesophageal cancer, while experts distinguish this hazard from the much broader cancer risks associated with smoking.

Story By: Andrew Kaumba

Research links very hot beverages, particularly those above 65°C, with increased oesophageal cancer risk.

Drinking beverages at very high temperatures has been linked to an increased risk of oesophageal cancer, according to research reviewed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). However, the claim that hot tea is “more dangerous than cigarettes” is not supported by the research and should not be presented as a scientific conclusion.

In 2016, IARC classified drinking beverages above 65°C as “probably carcinogenic to humans”, placing the exposure in Group 2A. The classification concerns the temperature of the beverage rather than tea itself. IARC said available evidence indicated that the temperature, rather than the particular drink, appeared to be responsible for the association with oesophageal cancer. 

A later study published in the British Journal of Cancer examined 849 oesophageal cancer cases and 906 controls from Malawi and Tanzania. Researchers found that people who reported drinking “very hot” beverages had an odds ratio of 1.92 for oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma compared with those drinking “hot” beverages. The study adjusted for factors including age, sex, alcohol consumption and tobacco use. 

The research also examined other aspects of thermal exposure. Participants who waited less than two minutes before drinking had a higher observed risk than those who waited two to five minutes, while faster consumption and more frequent mouth or tongue burns were also associated with increased risk. Participants with the highest combined thermal-exposure scores had an odds ratio of 4.6 compared with those in the reference group. 

Importantly, these findings do not mean that every cup of tea above 65°C will cause cancer. IARC's Group 2A classification means that an exposure is considered probably carcinogenic based on the available evidence. It does not establish that cancer is inevitable for an individual who consumes very hot beverages. IARC also notes that smoking and alcohol are major causes of oesophageal cancer. 

There is also evidence from Zambia showing the serious burden of oesophageal cancer. A 2026 study of 212 cancer admissions at Livingstone University Teaching Hospital recorded 29 oesophageal cancer cases, of whom 24 died, representing a mortality proportion of 82.8% among those patients. This study, however, did not establish that drinking hot tea was responsible for those deaths. 

For people who regularly drink very hot beverages, allowing the drink to cool before consumption is a reasonable precaution. The IARC research specifically supports avoiding beverages consumed at temperatures above 65°C, rather than avoiding tea altogether. 

The evidence therefore supports a more precise message: very hot beverages can increase the risk of oesophageal cancer, and temperature matters. But there is no scientific basis in the cited studies for saying that hot tea is more dangerous than cigarette smoking.