
Drinking hot tea linked with risk of 1 type of oesophageal cancer - open-source-ux
https://www.nhs.uk/news/cancer/drinking-very-hot-tea-linked-risk-1-type-oesophageal-cancer/
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chmln
Sounds way overblown. Here are the relevant bits.

> The cancer is very rare. Even in this high-risk population, where drinking
> very hot tea is extremely common, only 0.6% developed oesophageal cancer.

> Even though hot tea drinking could raise risk, the absolute risk increase
> would be from less than 1% to 1.2%.

> This may well be far smaller than the risk conferred from more established
> risk factors, such as alcohol, smoking, diet and obesity.

> The researchers have tried to account for these and other lifestyle factors
> that may be associated with hot tea drinking and so influencing any link.

> But as with all observational studies, it's difficult to ensure their
> influence is fully ruled out.

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gbaygon
Just one data point, I’m from Argentina, we drink Mate here (as in yerba mate
with a straw) the custom is to drink it very hot (around 80 deg celcius) and
never knew any one with oesophageal cancer. You start drinking it as a child
with sugar and cold (60 deg) and you just get used to it. After a couple of
years you drink it bitter (Mate Amargo) and hot.

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asdf333
actually i think there was some research showing yerba mate drinkers had
higher incidences of cancer due to the hotness of the liquid.

[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/19695149/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/19695149/)

~~~
sidesentists
I actually thought they were linking it to the temperature + the fact that
mate is often smoked during processing (which is one reason I think I actually
like the flavor unfortunately)

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boznz
FTFA "People who drank hot tea daily but didn't smoke or drink alcohol every
day had no increased risk of oesophageal cancer."

Also the study indicates it the "hot" thats at issue not the "Tea" so Im
calling bullshit on this headline.

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intherdfield
> FTFA "People who drank hot tea daily but didn't smoke or drink alcohol every
> day had no increased risk of oesophageal cancer."

Actually, it's the opposite.

From the article, "Some studies have suggested that only people who drink
alcohol or smoke are at risk of cancer from drinking hot tea. This study
suggests that is not the case."

The conclusion section of the article addresses some of the questions raised
here. I would say the conclusion was a refreshingly well written summary of
what the results mean and some outstanding questions.

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orestes910
Can anyone help me understand why we're even performing studies like this
anymore? It would seem that all these years of "x can cause cancer" studies
have just revealed that we generally know very little about what causes
cancer. Is prevention really a viable avenue of control anymore? Shouldn't we
just be focusing on early detection and treatment?

~~~
lawlessone
No harm in building up data.

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KangLi
Is that so! xD Everything is linked to cancer now, and I'm just speechless..

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_bxg1
I'd imagine stress has a much stronger correlation, so if tea is a de-stresser
for you it's probably a net gain.

