WHO: Very hot drinks may cause cancer

Baku. 16 June. REPORT.AZ/ The World Health Organization has cleared coffee of causing cancer, but a detailed investigation has found that very hot drinks may be linked to cancer of the oesophagus, or gullet.

In a review published today by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the cancer agency of the World Health Organization, drinking very hot beverages was classified as "probably carcinogenic to humans."

More specifically, the review by a panel of global experts stated that drinking beverages at temperatures above 65 degrees Celsius could cause people to develop cancer of their esophagus, the eighth most common form of cancer worldwide.Drinking tea, coffee or other hot beverages at this temperature can cause significant scald burns in the esophagus when they're consumed and has previously been linked to an increased cancer risk in this part of the body.

The findings come after a group of 23 international scientists analyzed all available data on the carcinogenicity of coffee, a leaf infusion consumed commonly in South America and other regions and a range of other hot beverages, including tea.