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. 2025 Apr;132(7):652-659.
doi: 10.1038/s41416-025-02953-2. Epub 2025 Feb 19.

Hot beverage intake and oesophageal cancer in the UK Biobank: prospective cohort study

Maki Inoue-Choi  1 , Yesenia Ramirez  2 , Caitlin O'Connell  2 , Amy Berrington de Gonzalez  3 , Sanford M Dawsey  2 , Christian C Abnet  2 , Neal D Freedman  2 , Erikka Loftfield  2
Affiliations

Hot beverage intake and oesophageal cancer in the UK Biobank: prospective cohort study

Maki Inoue-Choi et al. Br J Cancer. 2025 Apr.

Abstract

Background: Drinking maté, a type of tea consumed at a very hot temperature in South America has been considered as a risk factor for oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Methods: We assessed daily intake and preferred temperature of hot beverages (tea and coffee) in relation to incident ESCC (n = 242) and adenocarcinoma (EAC; n = 710) among 454,796 adults in the UK Biobank. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression.

Results: Relative to non-drinkers and warm temperature drinkers (referent group), drinking 4-6 cups/d (HR, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.14-3.38) or more of hot temperature beverages was associated with higher risk of ESCC; HRs increased with increasing daily intake of hot temperature beverages (P-trend < 0.01). ESCC risk was still higher for those who drank very hot beverages; drinking ≤ 4 cups/d was associated with a 2.5-fold higher risk (HR, 2.52; 95% CI, 1.27-5.03), and risk increased with increasing daily intake of very hot temperature beverages (P-trend < 0.01). There was no clear association for EAC.

Conclusions: Our findings provide new evidence that drinking hot or very hot beverages is a risk factor for ESCC in the UK where drinking hot tea and coffee is common.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The UK Biobank study was approved by the NHS Northwest Multi-Centre Research Ethics Committee (21/NW/0157). All participants provided electronically signed consent. This study was performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines.

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