Very hot drinks
In the body: IARC classes drinking beverages hotter than 65 °C as probably carcinogenic to humans, for cancer of the esophagus: the heat, not the drink. That is how sure the evidence is, not how big the risk is.
Not rated by dose: a flag on 3 reviewed foods, among them Coffee, brewed, black tea and green tea.
Background. Shown, not scored: no dose basis at normal intake, a classification rather than a risk, or legal limits only.
The reference value and where it comes from
Reviewed foods that carry it
3 reviewed foods carry it; none is rated by dose.
How often you can eat it ?
No food here is rated by dose. Each line says why it’s listed: a flag for the people the source names, advice on handling it, or context.
Flags and context, not rated by dose
Black tea, brewedContext
How it’s rated
Shown as context, not rated: IARC classifies drinking very hot beverages (above 65 °C) as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A; oesophageal cancer). The concern is the temperature, not the tea: tea is named among drinks traditionally drunk very hot (about 70 °C). No amount is scored.
Intake: one 250 mL (250 g) cup a day, 70 kg adult
Measured on: IARC Monographs vol. 116 (2016): any beverage consumed above 65 °C; tea named among drinks traditionally drunk very hot (about 70 °C)
Coffee, brewedContext
How it’s rated
Shown as context, not rated: IARC classifies drinking very hot beverages (above 65 °C) as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A; oesophageal cancer, limited evidence in humans). Drinking coffee itself is Group 3, not classifiable. The concern is the temperature of the cup, not anything in it.
Intake: classification only
Measured on: IARC Monographs vol. 116 (2016): drinking very hot beverages (above 65 C), any beverage; coffee itself Group 3
Green tea, brewedContext
How it’s rated
Shown as context, not rated: IARC (2016) places drinking very hot beverages in Group 2A, from studies of tea or mate drunk at about 70 °C. Green tea is typically brewed at 70–80 °C, but nothing in the sources fixes the serving temperature; this is an effect of temperature, not a property of the leaf.
Intake: one 250 mL (250 g) cup a day, 70 kg adult
Measured on: IARC Monographs vol. 116 (2016): drinking very hot beverages, Group 2A; the cited studies are of tea or mate drunk at about 70 C.
Sources
- IARC. Press release 244: IARC Monographs evaluate drinking coffee, mate, and very hot beverages (15 June 2016); Monographs vol. 116 (2018)
iarc-2016-pr244· full text read · licence not recorded