Science warns: Drinking very hot tea can be bad for your health

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The way each one prepares their cup of tea can be very particular, but one thing is certain: you have to be careful with the temperature of the drink. A study published in Annals of Internal Medicineof American College of Physicians, points out that taking the infusion too hot can cause esophageal cancer, especially in smokers and people who consume alcohol.

According to the research, carried out with more than 456 thousand participants between 30 and 79 years old, those who take the infusion too hot are 5 times more likely to develop the disease in the organ. To reach this conclusion, the scientists linked volunteers’ responses to a questionnaire about their tea-drinking habits with the incidence of esophageal cancer in the United States, as of 2015.

As previously mentioned, the conclusion is that the damage is greater in people who combine the infusion with the use of alcoholic beverages and tobacco. Don’t fit into this group? Even so, it is advised to be careful with the temperature of the drink to avoid superficial injuries (such as burns) to the internal organs.

Ideal temperature for drinking tea

The esophagus is a muscular tube that connects the throat to the stomach. Still according to the study, hot tea – taken at 65ºC, on average – can harm the cells that line this structure, causing the so-called csquamous cell arcinoma, one of the types of cancer in the organ.

Although the drink must be prepared with boiling water, it is best to wait for it to cool down a bit before taking the first sip.