Piping Hot Beverages And Their Esophageal Cancer Connection

Most of us begin our day with a hot beverage. Is this preference for hiking our risk of carcinoma of the esophagus?

A cup of scalding hot tea, coffee, or chocolate feels heavenly, especially on a cold, dreary day. Unfortunately, though, researchers have recently revealed that consuming extremely hot drinks can hike your carcinoma risk. Drinks that exceed the reading of 149 °F tend to injure your mucosal lining which can in turn trigger carcinogenesis, a process that gives rise to cancer cells.

These findings do not necessarily spell crisis for all tea and coffee lovers. There are still ways to enjoy your daily cuppa without exposing yourself to the dangers of esophageal malignancies. Here are some suggestions:

1. Allow Your Drink To Cool Off A Little – Instead of attacking your beverage while it is still steaming, allow it to sit for a while so that it cools down a bit. Not only will this help you reduce your risk of cancer, but it will also allow the more subtle flavors to come through, making your beverage tastier than ever before.
2. Request For Beverages At ‘Kids’ Temperature’ – Most coffee shops offer two temperature categories for hot beverages – the adult variant and the kid variant. Hot chocolate is generally served at “kids’ temperature” which is about 130°F. You can place a special request at your favorite coffee shop to get your beverage at a lower temperature too.
3. Quit Tobacco Use – Smokers who are also in the habit of regularly consuming extremely hot beverages are at a significantly higher risk of falling prey to esophageal carcinoma. By “kicking the butt”, you can reduce your chances of developing most forms of cancer.
4. Add Milk To Your Beverage – Adding milk to hot tea or coffee reduces the temperature of the beverage and, therefore, makes it more suitable for consumption.

Drinking piping hot drinks every day can make you much more vulnerable to esophageal malignancies especially if you are also a smoker and/or an alcoholic. It is, therefore, advisable to not just avoid drinking excessively hot drinks but also to steer clear of tobacco use and alcohol abuse.

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