Very hot beverages above 65°C carry a “probably carcinogenic” risk for oesophageal cancer due to thermal injury rather than the drinks themselves, with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifying them as such since 2016; recent 2025 UK Biobank data from nearly half a million participants confirms elevated risks in Western populations, alongside longstanding evidence from Asia, Africa, and South America, urging simple cooling habits like waiting or adding milk.
Recent Studies Spotlight Persistent Global Danger
The IARC’s 2016 decision placed very hot drinks in Group 2A “probably carcinogenic to humans” alongside risks like indoor wood smoke or aloe vera extracts, based on consistent cohort studies from regions where scalding maté, tea, or chai form daily rituals.
Research from South America, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia (PMIDs: 19123468, 35768549, 30891750) links consumption at around 70°C to sharply higher oesophageal cancer rates, a pattern now validated in the West by a February 2025 UK Biobank analysis of nearly 500,000 people, which tied frequent hot beverage intake to oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).
In that study, those downing eight or more very hot drinks daily faced nearly six-fold increased risk, while even moderate but regular exposure doubled it for some a finding echoed in a 2024 analysis confirming causality through temperature preferences.
Indian contexts, like steaming roadside chai, mirror these habits, as noted by gut experts emphasising prevention over panic amid no major stakeholder disputes.
Thermal Injury Mechanism and Everyday Amplifiers
The core issue lies in heat’s direct assault on the oesophagus lining: temperatures above 65°C cause thermal damage, triggering chronic inflammation, weakened barriers, and eventual precancerous shifts, much like repeated minor burns fostering scars that turn malignant over decades.
Animal experiments expose this starkly 70°C water hastens oesophageal growths while human data reveals how sip size and frequency compound harm, with bigger gulps spiking internal heat more intensely.
A 2025 review reinforces that coffee and tea offer antioxidants at safe warmth but become hazards when scalding, with risks scaling by exposure volume: daily multiples elevate odds far beyond occasional sips.
Practical fixes abound let drinks sit minutes to drop below 58°C (flavourful yet safe), stir vigorously, blow across the surface, ditch takeaway lids for faster cooling, or splash in cold water or milk habits that sidestep injury without sacrificing comfort or culture.
Hot Drink Traditions Fuel Evidence
This alert builds on traditions where hospitality means piping-hot brews, from Iranian chai ceremonies to Iranian maté circles or Indian tapri stalls, where studies first flagged patterns decades ago but needed large-scale Western confirmation like the UK Biobank’s to silence sceptics.
Post-2016, awareness grew via global reviews, yet 2025 updates affirm the link persists despite cooler norms elsewhere, highlighting modifiable lifestyle factors akin to helmet laws curbing head injuries.
No recent reversals challenge the science; instead, outlets stress it’s temperature, not caffeine or tannins, driving the threat empowering individuals amid rising oesophageal cancer burdens in hot-drink hotspots. For readers in India, where tea fuels billions of mornings, this underscores blending heritage with health smarts.
Broader Health Ties and Prevention Strategies
Beyond oesophagus, emerging data hints at throat impacts, though evidence centres here; co-factors like smoking or alcohol amplify risks, per cohort patterns, yet heat stands alone as preventable.
A very-hot exposure index from prior research quantifies cumulative harm, aiding future tracking, while 2025 Indian expert commentary demystifies: “It’s the sizzle, not the sip.” Families sharing brews can normalise cooling rituals, humanising science imagine grandparents blowing on chai for grandkids, weaving care into custom. Stats paint urgency: in high-risk zones, hot drinks rival other carcinogens; cooling slashes odds dramatically.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The Logical Indian views this as a gentle nudge towards empathetic self-care, harmonising age-old joys like chai with evidence-based wisdom to avert needless pain in families and communities we cherish. By embracing cooler sips, we model kindness to our bodies, loved ones, and shared futures fostering dialogue, coexistence, and positive ripples for public health.
