The Health Risk of Hot Beverages

In recent years, the health benefits of drinking coffee and tea have been well publicized. But now comes bad news for those that like these beverages really hot.  No, it isn't about a  possible burn from a spill. The warning speaks of  internal injury, specifically to your esophagus if the hot drink you're enjoying is too hot for your tissues to handle. 

Who's warning consumers about hot beverages?  On June 15, 2016, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) published a report saying that consuming "very hot" beverages (it doesn't matter what beverage) "is probably carcinogenic."  This information has been widely  reported by the news media.

What does "very hot" mean? According to the Associated Press, the warning seems to be directed most pointedly at China, Iran, Turkey, and some South American countries, where teas are consumed at about 65-70° Celsius/150-160°Fahrenheit, which is significantly hotter than the beverage  temperatures normally served in restaurants in North America and Europe.

 According to CNN, "...a panel of global experts stated that drinking beverages above 65 degrees Celsius--149 degrees Fahrenheit--could cause people to develop cancer of their esophagus, the eighth most common form of cancer worldwide."  For the sake of comparison, this temperature is hotter than water pouring from sink faucets, which is generally no hotter than about 140°F.  (As we all know, boiling water is 100°C/212°F.) 

Dana Loomis, deputy head of the IARC program that classifies carcinogens, said the organization decided to investigate the effect of hot drinks on the esophagus after noting the high rates of esophageal cancer in countries where it's common to drink very hot beverages, including a leaf infusion known as maté.  According to Loomis, even when it's below  60°C/ 140°F, a drink can burn the skin.

Of course,  what your Shelf Life Advice editor did immediately is rush for her food thermometer and take the temperature of her coffee (with  some milk added, the way I usually drink it ). The thermometer read 143°F. Maybe not too bad, but CNN reports that previous studies have recommended "an optimal drinking temperature of 136 degrees Fahrenheit/57.8 degrees Celsius or below."

The scholarly article "High-temperature beverages and Foods and Esophageal Cancer Risk--A Systematic Review" explains that the thermal injury to esophageal mucosa is related to both "the initial temperature of the drink and, more importantly, the size of the sip.  For example, drinking 65°C coffee increased the intra-esophageal temperature by 6-12°C, depending upon the sip size."

I'm prepared for some smart aleck to say, "So, next week, are scientists going to tell me that

very cold drinks also harm the esophagus?  Are we left with only lukewarm coffee and lukewarm

milkshakes?"  Don't blame me.  I'm not the researcher, only the messenger.   But I'm also a believer; I worry  about coffee, tea, cocoa, and all the hot soup I consume. Loomis says there isn't sufficient evidence to worry about the risks of eating hot solid foods.  If it's a thick soup with vegetables in it, is that a solid food?

Since I read about this research, I have been pouring a bit more cold milk into my coffee and dropping cold lemon slices into my tea.  What about my soup?   Crackers don't cool, so I'm blowing on each spoonful and eating from the top of the bowl, where the liquid is closer to room temperature.

Cancer is no joke, so I should take this warning seriously, and I do.  However,  my fear level in relation to this particular health warning decreased when I read (in the Associated Press article) that, instead of waiting for their beverages to cool, people should focus on the major causes of esophageal cancer. In other words, stop smoking and cut down on drinking alcoholic beverages.  I've already done both and still find life enjoyable.

Just about simultaneously with the bad news about hot beverages, consumers got this good news: the World Health Organization's research arm  no longer considers coffee a possible carcinogen.  Why the change? The organization says  there isn't enough evidence to support  this scary claim.  So, if your doctor hasn't told you to cut down on coffee or cut it out altogether, enjoy it--in moderation.   But  if you like it without that cooling cream or milk, just add an ice cube and take small sips. 

To read about the benefits of drinking coffee and how much is recommended, click below:

"Cheer up! Have a Cup of Coffee"

http://shelflifeadvice.com/content/cheer-have-cup-coffee

"Coffee, coffee everywhere--but how much can I drink?"

http://shelflifeadvice.com/content/coffee-coffee-everywhere-how-much-can-i-drink

Source(s):

ncbi.nim.nih.gov  "High-temperature beverages and Foods and Esophageal Cancer Risk--A Systematic Review"

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2773211/

cnn.com  "Very hot drinks are 'probably carcinogenic'"

http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/15/health/coffee-tea-hot-drinks-cancer-risk/

ap.org  "Coffee struck from list of possible cancer-causing agents"

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/aba53a81226e4f1c91b30fefb18d46cd/un-coffee-no-longer-deemed-possible-carcinogen