A major UK study links drinking very hot beverages to increased oesophageal cancer risk, while another analysis reveals flight crews face higher radiation-related cancer mortality than nuclear workers, according to recent research.
A landmark study published in the UK has found that consuming very hot drinks significantly increases the risk of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), a type of cancer affecting the esophagus. The research, funded by Cancer Research UK and involving nearly 980,000 adults, adds to growing evidence that drink temperature plays a role in cancer development, though the overall risk remains low. Meanwhile, a separate study in the JAMA Internal Medicine reveals that flight attendants and pilots face a higher risk of radiation-related cancer mortality compared to other professions, including nuclear technologists, due to cosmic radiation exposure during flights.
Hot Beverages and Cancer Risk: What the UK Study Found
The UK study, led by researchers at Oxford Population Health, analyzed data from two large national studies—UK Biobank and the Million Women Study—to assess the relationship between hot drink consumption and oesophageal cancer. Participants who regularly drank beverages at very high temperatures had roughly three times the risk of developing SCC compared to those who drank warm or cool drinks. The risk was particularly elevated for individuals consuming six or more hot drinks daily.
While the study did not record exact temperatures, it referenced the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s (IARC) 2016 classification of beverages above 65C as probably carcinogenic.
Fiona Osgun, head of health information at Cancer Research UK, emphasized that the risk of oesophageal cancer in the UK is still relatively low, but the findings highlight the importance of adjusting drinking habits. Letting drinks cool down before drinking or adding cold milk can negate the risk,
she said.
Dr Keren Papier, lead researcher and senior nutritional epidemiologist at Oxford Population Health, noted that while previous research linked high-temperature beverages to cancer in regions like South America, this study is the largest to examine the issue in Western populations. What was less clear, was whether this also applied to the temperatures at which hot drinks are usually consumed in Western populations,
she said. The study also found no obvious impact on adenocarcinoma risk.
Flight Crews and Radiation Exposure: A Hidden Risk
A separate analysis published in JAMA Internal Medicine reveals that flight attendants and pilots face a higher risk of radiation-related cancer mortality compared to workers in other industries, including nuclear technologists. The study, which examined data from nearly 13 million deceased individuals across 503 occupations, found that nearly seven per cent of deaths among flight crews were attributed to radiation-related cancers, compared to lower rates in other professions.
Researchers from Harvard Medical School linked this increased risk to cosmic radiation exposure at high altitudes. Pilots and flight attendants receive an average of 3 to 6 millisieverts per year of cosmic radiation, far exceeding the 0.4 millisieverts received annually by an average air traveller taking 10 cross-country round-trip flights. The study noted statistically significant higher death rates from breast, central nervous system, prostate cancers, and melanoma among flight crews.
While the study acknowledged limitations, such as potential misclassification of occupation on death certificates, it concluded that cumulative cosmic radiation exposure during flights is associated with a range of radiation-related cancers. Flight attendants and pilots had the highest and second-highest proportion of radiation-related cancer mortality, among 503 occupations, a pattern not observed for non–radiation-related cancers or ground-based aviation workers,
the researchers stated.
What This Means for Public Health and Workplace Safety
For hot drink consumption, experts recommend allowing beverages to cool before drinking or adding cold milk, while the new study said the temperature at which coffee and tea is drunk in Western populations is estimated to be around 60C. For flight crews, the research calls for occupational radiation protections for aircrew members that align with their exposure levels.
And the most important ways to reduce the risk of this cancer type are not smoking and cutting down on alcohol,
Osgun added.
