The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified drinking very hot beverages as a probable carcinogen, something that probably causes cancer. IARC is the cancer agency of the World Health Organization. Very hot beverages refer to drinks hotter than 65 degrees Celsius, which translates to about 149 degrees Fahrenheit. In the US, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and other hot beverages are usually drunk at temperatures lower than 149 degrees.IARC published its report online June 15, 2016, in The Lancet Oncology.
The studies that led IARC to classify drinking very hot beverages as a possible carcinogen mostly looked at maté, a type of tea that is traditionally drunk at very hot temperatures, mainly in South America, Asia, and Africa. The studies showed a link between the drink and esophageal cancer, but only when it was served at the traditional, very hot temperature. In…
