However, the report also shows a positive association between drinking beverages that are too hot with esophageal cancer.
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However, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) did warn in a statement issued Wednesday that consuming “very hot” beverages of any kind could likely increase the chances for getting cancer, reports Fox News.
In its evaluation, IARC found that coffee proved carcinogenic only when the temperature of the drink exceeds 65 degrees Celsius. In fact, there are some studies that show that drinking coffee might actually reduce the risk of developing certain forms of cancer. The findings of the study were published in The Lancet Oncology.
There’s no conclusive evidence that coffee causes cancer.
The WHO cited studies conducted in places like China, Iran, Turkey and South America, where coffee and tea are traditionally drank very hot.
Esophageal cancer is the eighth most common cause of cancer worldwide and one of the main causes of cancer death, with approximately 400,000 deaths recorded in 2012 (5% of all cancer deaths).
Drinking hot beverages is now classified under Group 2A, the same risk group as red meat and nitrogen mustard. “Quitting smoking and reducing alcohol consumption are much more significant for reducing cancer risk than the temperature of what you’re drinking”, said Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society. Another group, the World Cancer Research Fund International, reported that coffee protects against multiple types of cancer. In other words, such hot beverages are now considered as “probably carcinogenic”. “And several systematic reviews of studies involving millions of people have found that regular coffee drinkers live longer than others”.
With further evidence, the IARC determined this not to be true, but it is instead the particularly high temperature of the drink that may cause cancer of the gullet.
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“These results suggest that drinking very hot beverages is one probable cause of oesophageal cancer and that it is the temperature, rather than the drinks themselves, that appears to be responsible”, said Christopher Wild, director of the IARC.
