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I’m writing this with a delicious, carcinogenic cup of tea steaming on my desk. It is carcinogenic at the moment because it’s freshly made and the water is hot. And according to a much-covered study published on September 8th, hot drinks are bad for your throat.
They are specifically bad for the cells lining your oesophagus. The study analysed data from nearly 1m people in Britain, both habitual tea-drinkers and the poor fools who prefer coffee. It found that those who claimed they liked their morning pick-me-ups very hot had about a three-fold higher risk of developing cancer of the oesophagus (which is, admittedly, a somewhat uncommon cancer). If everyone who took their tea or coffee scalding hot instead waited for it to cool down, it might prevent about 440 of the roughly 3,200 cases of oesophagul cancer seen every year in Britain.
This new study is not the first to find such an association, and
this week’s column
digs into the details of the evidence—including trying to nail down just how hot is too hot (the latest study used subjective opinions, which is not much use to anyone who might be worried).
And it offers some news you can use, too. Those people who are particularly precious about their hot drinks can use the preparation guidelines prepared by the Specialty Coffee Association, a trade group that appears to suffer from a serious case of sommelier-envy. Everyone else can just wait a few minutes until their morning cuppa has cooled down a bit—or, if you are in a hurry, top it up with a bit of cold water.
Will you change how you take your hot drinks? Vote in our poll below and let us know. And tell us how many warm beverages you enjoy in a day by emailing us at
wellinformed@economist.com.
We might feature you in next week’s newsletter.
Last week we asked how often you look at a
screen before sleeping.
A whopping 68% said every night, while 14% opted for at least a few times a week. Only 6% said they avoided screens entirely before bed.
In California, Ruth says she looks at a screen every night and admits she doesn’t sleep that well. The trouble is, she says, “I like to do it.”
Elizabeth,
writing from the Isle of Man, says that she recently stopped using her iPad after 8pm—and her sleeping has “much improved”. Several of you, including
Russell,
Jean,
Abdullahi,
Doug and
Graeme,
all said they opted for reading The Economist, instead. (We’ll try not to take that personally.)
We also asked for your views on blue-light glasses. Writing from South Carolina, Sara says she bought the lenses but didn’t wear them often and has never noticed screens interfering with her sleep. In London, however, Lea says she recently got hold of a pair and that “the muscles around the eyes” have felt more relaxed since. She is not yet sold on whether they relax the brain. See you next week. | 
