WHO warns very hot drinks may increase risk of cancer
A team of scientists from the World Health Organization warn that consuming very hot beverages may increase the risk of cancer in the esophagus. A review of more than a thousand studies from places like China, Iran and South America, where hot beverage culture is deeply engrained in the daily life, suggests that drinking tea and coffee above 150ºF / 65ºC is likely to be carcinogenic to humans. Furthermore, the findings seem to suggest that the risk of esophageal cancer increases in line with the temperature at which the beverage is drunk. Drinking hot beverages is popular is some South American countries like Argentina and Uruguay, as well as in the Middle East. In the US, the average coffee drinking temperature is 140ºF/60ºC, or just below the threshold.