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We’ve covered the pros and cons of adding sweeteners or cream to your tea or coffee a few times over the years. A new study suggests there’s something else to bear in mind. It may not only be what’s in your brew that matters, but how hot you take it.
Today, we’ll look at what they found and whether that means you should change your morning ritual.
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Let’s investigate!
Tim Snaith
Newsletter Editor, Healthline
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Written by Tim Snaith
September 24, 2026 • 2 min read
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How hot is too hot for your morning brew?
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Scientists in the UK followed almost a million adults and found that people who said they liked their tea or coffee “very hot” were about three times more likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma, one of the two main cancers of the esophagus — the tube that carries food to the stomach — than people who drank theirs merely “warm.”
The findings came from two large studies and more than a decade of follow-up. “Hot” drinkers had roughly double the risk of “warm” drinkers and “very hot” drinkers about triple. Having six or more hot drinks a day slightly increased the risk. The effect showed up whether or not people smoked, drank alcohol, or added milk, which points the finger at the heat itself.
The reason that heat is implicated in cancer is simple. Your mouth feels a burn and protests, but the esophagus has few pain receptors, so scalding liquid can damage the lining on the way down without you noticing. Repeated time and time again, low-grade inflammation can set the stage for cancer. That’s why the World Health Organization (WHO) already lists drinks above 65°C (149°F) as probably cancer-causing.
Now, this is not absolute proof that a scalding drink gives you cancer, and “very hot” was how people described their own taste, not a precise, measured temperature. This type of cancer is also fairly rare, so tripling a small risk still means the risk is small. So, do you need to give up hot drinks? The simple answer is no. But you might consider letting your fresh cup stand for a few minutes, until it is pleasant rather than punishing.
The researchers estimated that if very hot drinkers simply let their cups cool to hot, it could prevent about 14% of these cases.
For most people, the bigger risk factors for this cancer are smoking, heavy drinking, excess weight, and chronic acid reflux. Treating those factors is likely to have the biggest influence on cancer risk.
One last thing: Coffee comes with a long list of proven upsides, from steadier energy to a lower risk of several diseases. So let it cool, then enjoy every sip.
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Want to learn more about food, diets, cooking, or some other nutrition subject? Let us know at nutritionedition@healthline.com, and we’ll look into it for you! (Heads-up: We may use your response in an upcoming newsletter.)
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