Scientists revealed link between tea and coffee and cancer development

Lovers of very hot tea and coffee are twice as likely to develop stomach cancer, Chinese researchers have found. The scientific study revealed that the danger lies not only in the amount of drinks consumed, but also in their high temperature.

As reported by TUT.AZ with reference to the journal Food & Function, scientists from the Capital Medical University of China came to these conclusions after analyzing data from the large-scale UK Biobank project.

The extensive study involved more than 328 thousand volunteers whose health was monitored for almost 12 years. Specialists studied not only the amount of tea and coffee consumed, but also the temperature preferences of the participants - from warm beverages to scalding hot ones.

The statistics turned out to be alarming: those who daily drank more than eight cups of hot beverages had a 54% higher risk of stomach cancer compared to moderate consumers. The high temperature poses a particular danger - lovers of very hot drinks with the same consumption volume faced a risk of disease increased by more than two times.

Notably, the discovered pattern persisted even after adjusting the data for age, lifestyle, smoking, and other risk factors. Scientists believe that the cause may be constant thermal irritation of the stomach lining, causing chronic inflammation and tissue damage.

Researchers note that prevention is simple - it is enough to allow drinks to cool down a bit before consumption, especially if you drink a lot of tea or coffee every day.