Drinking very hot drinks has been linked to an increased risk of oesophageal cancer, an Oxford study has found.
The warning comes from the largest study of its kind, funded by Cancer Research UK and based on data from nearly one million UK adults.
Researchers from Oxford Population Health, who analysed information from the UK Biobank and the Million Women Study, found that people who regularly consumed hot drinks had a 1.7 times higher risk of oesophageal cancer compared to those who preferred warm drinks.
The risk rose to three times higher among those who reported drinking "very hot" beverages.
Dr Keren Papier, lead researcher and senior nutritional epidemiologist at Oxford Population Health, said: "International research has shown for some time that drinking beverages like mate at very high temperatures, as is typical in South America, is linked to increased risk of certain oesophageal cancers.
"What was less clear, was whether this also applied to the temperatures at which hot drinks are usually consumed in Western populations.
"This is now the largest study to look at that question in a UK population, where many people drink tea and coffee daily.
"It adds to existing evidence that drinking very hot drinks could increase the risk of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
"More research is now needed to identify the exact drink temperatures linked to this increased risk."
The findings also indicated that consuming six or more hot drinks per day increased the risk.
Although the study did not record the actual temperature of drinks, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified beverages above 65C as "probably carcinogenic" in 2016.
Fiona Osgun, head of health information at Cancer Research UK, said: "While the risk of being diagnosed with this cancer remains relatively low in the UK, this research does add to the evidence that drinking very hot drinks could increase the risk of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
"There is however a simple step people can take – let a cuppa cool down a little before taking a sip."
Experts believe that very hot drinks may damage the cells lining the oesophagus, making it more likely for cancer to develop.
Oesophageal cancer affects around 9,500 people in the UK each year, with about a one per cent lifetime risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).
The study found that drink temperature was linked to SCC but had no clear impact on the risk of adenocarcinoma, another common type of oesophageal cancer.
Ms Osgun said: "And the most important ways to reduce the risk of this cancer type are not smoking and cutting down on alcohol."
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