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In Iran, the Golestan Province to be specific, folks drink only two beverages – water and tea. When they drink tea, they drink it hot – really hot. An ABC article posted last week tells us that in this region of Iran, people have a high esophageal cancer rate.

A study was performed on 871 Golestan Province residents – 300 of whom had esophagel cancer – to find out why these folks were having such a bad time. Factors considered in the study include drinking “very hot” tea, smoking tobacco, and alcohol consumption. The British Medical Journal reported the findings, which stated that drinking “very” hot tea increases the risk for esophageal cancer. The whole “hot tea” thing is what’s hot in the news this week, but other factors, inlcuding how people care for their teeth, play a role in the high cancer statistics.

Other Factors that Contribute to Esophageal Cancer
According to reseracher Reza Malekzadeh, director of the Digestive Disease Research Center at Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Iran, tea was the main, but not the only factor that contributes to the high esophageal cancer rate in the Golestan Province. A bad diet (not enough vegetables), not brushing teeth and taking care of oral health, and the widespread poor socio-economic status contributed to the problem, as well.

Drikning libations and smoking tobacco contribute to cancer because of the chemical influence these substances have on the body. With tea, only the temperature is a factor – not the chemical makeup of tea or the type of tea. This leads to the assumption that coffee or any hot beverage would produce similar results – higher cancer rates. Because esophageal cancer is higher in Asia and South America, the US has not recommended a screening fo the condition. Only when symptoms are present will doctors perform esophageal tests. However, in the US, most people do not drink their coffee or tea “very hot.”

What is VERY HOT Tea?
Under 149 degrees Farenheit is considered warm. Over 156 degrees is considered hot, and at this temperature, the rate of esophageal cancer doubles. Very hot tea, over 158 degrees, increases the potential for cancer eight times. Wow! Most people cannot drink liquids this hot, but residents of the Golestan Province were raised on “very hot” tea and have grown accustomed to drinking it.

SOURCE: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/CancerPreventionAndTreatment/story?id=7182731