Tea Lovers, Beware!

If you're one of those people who can't live without a steaming hot cup of tea in the morning—or you don't know what you'd do without a boiling cup of savory goodness to help you stay awake every afternoon—you might want to hold off before gulping your next portion of that favorite stimulant. New research shows that drinking too-hot tea may cause throat cancer and damage the lining of your esophagus.

Though previous studies linked tobacco and alcohol with esophageal cancer, not much was known about the effect of scalding liquids on those areas. But a study conducted by Iranian researchers in Tehran, recently published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), now reveals the link between steaming hot tea and throat cancer.

The study followed 871 men and women from the same area in northern Iran, where drinking hot tea is considered tradition. 571 were perfectly healthy, whereas 300 had already contracted cancer. Though nearly all the participants drank hot tea regularly and in volume, most claimed they didn't smoke or drink on a regular basis, separating alcohol and tobacco from possible causation in the study.

The results might amaze you. When compared with their cancer-free comrades, the 300 patients with cancer were more than twice as likely to report drinking their tea "very hot," at a temperature of more than 158 degrees Fahrenheit, while healthy subjects tended to sip warm or lukewarm tea at less than 149 degrees.

It seems those measly nine degrees can make quite a difference when it comes to your health!

In the study, patients with cancer also leaned toward drinking their tea within two minutes of brewing—giving them a five times higher cancer rate than those who waited more than four minutes before partaking.

So how long should you wait to enjoy that hot, delicious treat? Researchers suggest letting tea cool for four to ten minutes before imbibing. Basically, the study shows, give the liquid time to move from "scalding" to "warm."

It's estimated that cancers of the throat and esophagus kill more than half a million people each year worldwide. Especially deadly, these types of tumors carry five-year survival rates of only 12 to 31 percent.

Though no one is quite sure how hot tea causes throat cancer, researchers hypothesize that repeated injury to the throat's lining somehow sets the process in motion.

And drinking the scalding liquid not only predisposes you to cancer; the existence of this type of preexisting condition may also make it difficult to secure good health insurance with the coverage needed to seek medical attention or have tests if you think you may be at risk.

Regardless, tea drinkers worldwide should heed this persuasive advice, protect themselves from possible injury and death, and sacrifice a few minutes with their favorite drink for a lifetime of health.

On behalf of tea drinkers everywhere, here's to a "warm" cup of your favorite beverage!