Excessively hot cup of tea

To really rest and relax, what’s more soothing than a nice, piping hot cup of tea?  I drink tea every day, and I can tell you it’s one of my favorite beverages not only for its good taste and smell, but it because it relaxes me. 

And these days, I can get all the relaxation I can get.

But according to a new study, just how piping hot a cup of tea is can do just the opposite for one’s vocal pipes – in short, the intensity of its hotness increases the risk of throat cancer.

According to Iranian researchers who published their study in the British Medical Journal, there appears to be a significant link between hot tea, consumers of hot tea, and throat cancer. 

For instance, among the nearly 900 men and women they followed – a third of whom had some form of esophageal cancer already – there was an eight-fold increase in cancer among those who drank their tea when the temperature of their tea was 158 degrees Fahrenheit, as opposed to others who drank their tea when it was much cooler, around 149 degrees Fahrenheit.

There was also a link with regards to how long the participants waited before wetting their black tea-loving whistles (the participants drank an average of one liter of black tea per day).  For example, similar to that guy everyone knows who wants to sink his teeth into a pizza that’s cheese is still simmering, many participants preferred to drink their tea straight from their stove top to tea cup (less than two minutes after tea was done cooking).  Their lack of patience was rewarded with a risk of cancer five times higher than those who waited four or five minutes before imbibing.

The research was performed by doctors from Tehran University of Medical Sciences, and was published in the British Medical Journal.

Researchers can’t be sure what the link is between excessive heat and cancer.  Whatever it is, it jibes with past research regarding the link between consuming food heated to an excessive degree and cancer (burned or scorched meat, for instance).  Unlike the tea, though, they know what causes that risk (it’s the chemicals that are produced – chemicals called heterocyclic amines – which form on the meat due to the excessive heat caused by overcooking).

This study focused solely on tea and what effect excessively hot tea had on the throat, yet I’m thinking that ALL hot beverages have just as destructive an effect on the lining of the throat, if for no other reason than tea is one of the more nutritious beverages one can drink (the natural ones, anyway), yet still poses a health risk when overheated.

Anyway, food, er, drink for thought:  Keep those pipes as perfect as can be and blow on your tea before tossing (or sipping) back your next brew.

Sources:
MSNBC
Discovery Health