Cancer: Very hot tea may increase risk of oesophageal cancer

It said it was the temperature that was important rather than the type of drink.

Important caveats

Commenting on the research at the time of publication, Georgina Hill, from Cancer Research UK, said that “most people in the UK don’t drink their tea at such high temperatures”.

She said: “As long you’re letting your tea cool down a bit before you drink it, or adding cold milk, you’re unlikely to be raising your cancer risk – and not smoking, keeping a healthy weight and cutting down on alcohol will do much more to stack the odds in your favour.”

Indeed, to really understand risk, it needs to be put into context. And that means factoring in how common the disease is overall.