Extra Hot Coffee May Be Linked to Esophageal Cancer

Do you like your coffee extra hot? Or frequently burn your throat drinking scalding hot tea?

Your hot coffee may be putting you at higher risk of esophageal cancer, according to recent studies. One study, published in the journal “Clinical Nutrition,” found those who like to drink tea or coffee were at a 2.8 times higher risk of esophageal cancer than non-drinkers.

When you drink extra hot coffee – or any superheated beverage – it can cause damage to your esophagus. Over time, those damaged cells may become susceptible to cancer.

“Think of it like skin cancer,” said surgeon Mario Katigbak, MD, who also serves as chief of thoracic surgery at Hartford Hospital. “When you experience burns on your skin, like sunburn, over a prolonged period of time, the cells start to change to protect themselves. A change in the cells’ DNA can cause them to become precancerous and then cancerous.”

Learn about symptoms of esophageal cancer here.