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Very Hot Beverages are ‘Probable’ Cancer Trigger, Says WHO

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Trojita

Rapid Response Threadmaker
Don't like hot drinks anyway.

This isn't based on cancer being caused by radiation, like from the sun. The hot beverages literally burn the soft tissue in your throat causing the cells to fix themselves. Over time this can increase the chance of dna damaged cells appearing.
 

Elandyll

Banned
<- Drinks coffee with milk, tepid temp

/ made fun off by wife who drinks coffee very hot with barely any milk


/redeemed


....

<- reminds himself to tell wife not to drink burning hot coffee anymore
 
I once saw someone chug two espressos straight out of the machine and i could not believe how he was still standing! What kind of crazy person do you have to be.
 

DeathoftheEndless

Crashing this plane... with no survivors!
giphy.gif
 
I'm surprised. I thought we already knew this, based on what I've learned in medical school so far.

Rates of squamous cell throat cancer are much higher in countries where extremely hot drinks are enjoyed.

Any irritant to tissue runs the risk of causing permanent changes in that tissue, leading to cancer. For instance, GERD leads to increased risk of cancer. Heat is an obvious irritant. Drop some boiled water on your hand and see how good it feels if you want proof.

Basically, don't drink anything that's almost boiling hot. It burns your throat (duh).

Fellow medical school student, theres a really interesting case of one town in Iran having far higher rates of mouth cancer for no reason, and they eventually realized because they drink their tea much hotter than neighboring towns. Cell renewal is never a good thing.

(There are some new whispers about Barrets and GERD and how it may not be as clear of a relationship as before which is interesting as I have both and dont really want throat cancer...)
 
In short:
everything that regularly damages fast-replicating tissues, thus forcing to have even more cell divisions, can give you cancer. Especially if it's tissues that are not evolved to handle such damage so often (unlike e.g. skin wounds). Possible regulatory mechanisms to kick out any bad apple cells might also be limited if the tissue is under constant stress.

It's a numbers game. Mutations can spontaneously happen (if only for the mere fact that we are breathing oxygen). Therefore more cell divisions in such tissues = higher chance to hit something that is important.
Now accumulate mutations over time (aging) and you have a higher percentage of people getting cancer in that tissue. You just tweaked the chance parameters. Just how you can increase cancer risk by e.g. a higher dose of radiation.
 

jblank83

Member
Fellow medical school student, theres a really interesting case of one town in Iran having far higher rates of mouth cancer for no reason, and they eventually realized because they drink their tea much hotter than neighboring towns. Cell renewal is never a good thing.

(There are some new whispers about Barrets and GERD and how it may not be as clear of a relationship as before which is interesting as I have both and dont really want throat cancer...)

That must have been what my professors were referring to when they said "middle east". I never got more details than that.

Interesting to hear about Barret's. Do you have a link?
 
I'm surprised. I thought we already knew this, based on what I've learned in medical school so far.

Rates of squamous cell throat cancer are much higher in countries where extremely hot drinks are enjoyed.

Any irritant to tissue runs the risk of causing permanent changes in that tissue, leading to cancer. For instance, GERD leads to increased risk of cancer. Heat is an obvious irritant. Drop some boiled water on your hand and see how good it feels if you want proof.

Basically, don't drink anything that's almost boiling hot. It burns your throat (duh).

Good advise. If it is too hot for the hand it is too hot for the mouth. Or worse. The skin is made to tolerate harsh factors to an extent, your inner membranes are not.
 

Ty4on

Member
<- Drinks coffee with milk, tepid temp
Mmmm.

I started out drinking black coffee, but when I found out that cold milk cooled it down AND made it taste much better I never went back. Especially when it's fresh the milk brings out so many flavors.
 
That must have been what my professors were referring to when they said "middle east". I never got more details than that.

Interesting to hear about Barret's. Do you have a link?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3265012/ Here is a Q/A but here is a shitty NYtimes article talking about how its bile and not really acid and I saw (trending on facebook of all places) talk about how its inflammation that makes the throat sensitive to acid when normally its not. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/30/health/30brod.html

PPI's are a god send, don't need them really at all now but before my acid was really bad.

Edit: found the article http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/863413
 

Z3K

Member
Putting out these warnings really undermines WHO's credibility. The science is very vague and its based more on statistics than anything else.
 

Archaix

Drunky McMurder
Anyone know any good iced coffee techniques?

Course ground, 7 parts water to 1 part coffee, sit it in the fridge for ~14 hours. Strain out and return to the fridge to keep for a week or two. It'll generally be much stronger than the average brew.


Iced coffee master race.

I've always known I was right because fuck hot beverages, but it's nice for science to be on our side.
 
Putting out these warnings really undermines WHO's credibility. The science is very vague and its based more on statistics than anything else.

The science is very reasonable, and there is good data in Iran on this very issue (with tea and not coffee, we persians love our tea).
 

_woLf

Member
I really can't stand hot drinks, aside from a hot chocolate maybe once or twice a year, so this doesn't affect me at all.
 

jblank83

Member
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3265012/ Here is a Q/A but here is a shitty NYtimes article talking about how its bile and not really acid and I saw (trending on facebook of all places) talk about how its inflammation that makes the throat sensitive to acid when normally its not. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/30/health/30brod.html

PPI's are a god send, don't need them really at all now but before my acid was really bad.

Edit: found the article http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/863413

Interesting. Thanks!
 

SRG01

Member
I'm surprised. I thought we already knew this, based on what I've learned in medical school so far.

Rates of squamous cell throat cancer are much higher in countries where extremely hot drinks are enjoyed.

Any irritant to tissue runs the risk of causing permanent changes in that tissue, leading to cancer. For instance, GERD leads to increased risk of cancer. Heat is an obvious irritant. Drop some boiled water on your hand and see how good it feels if you want proof.

Basically, don't drink anything that's almost boiling hot. It burns your throat (duh).

Not only that, but drinking extremely hot beverages or soups is very detrimental to oral health as it damages gums and oral mucosa.
 

demon

I don't mean to alarm you but you have dogs on your face
Saw this thread, then went and finished making my cup of french press coffee with a little bit of half&half. Measure the temperature and it came out to 139F.

Could the half&half be saving my life? My guess is, yes.
 

Z3K

Member
The science is very reasonable, and there is good data in Iran on this very issue (with tea and not coffee, we persians love our tea).

The mucosa that lines the oesophagus is made up of epithelial cells that already have a very high turnover to deal with the abrasive effects of eating food and can deal with drinking hot drinks just as well.
 

AnAnole

Member
No shit burning your tongue, mouth and throat over and over increases your risk of cancer. I never got how ppl could enjoy eating/drinking scalding hot substances.

Also, seems like the ignorant as fuck "everything gives you cancer" brigade" has made its appearance.

Newsflash: everything does not fucking give you cancer.

Adittionally, magnitude of risk is important. A carcinogen may cause a few more people out of thousands to develop cancer among those exposed. Another carcinogen may cause a majority of people exposed to it to develop a particular cancer.

Which one am I going to make sure to avoid?

For the irrational, unthinking "everything causes cancer" ppl, it doesn't matter. For someone like me who has a functioning brain and can weigh risks, it does.
 

Lothar

Banned
Coffee if it doesn't warm you up is pointless and gross. I drink a few cups every day and eat everything as hot as possible. Guess I should just end everything now and get it over with. Thanks article.
 

styl3s

Member
No shit burning your tongue, mouth and throat over and over increases your risk of cancer. I never got how ppl could enjoy eating/drinking scalding hot substances.

Also, seems like the ignorant as fuck "everything gives you cancer" brigade" has made its appearance.

Newsflash: everything does not fucking give you cancer.

Adittionally, magnitude of risk is important. A carcinogen may cause a few more people out of thousands to develop cancer among those exposed. Another carcinogen may cause a majority of people exposed to it to develop a particular cancer.

Which one am I going to make sure to avoid?


For the irrational, unthinking "everything causes cancer" ppl, it doesn't matter. For someone like me who has a functioning brain and can weigh risks, it does.
Looks like cranky kong didn't have his cancer coffee today.

Everyone who has drank water has died.
Jokes on you i only drink Diet Coke.
 

diamount

Banned
No shit burning your tongue, mouth and throat over and over increases your risk of cancer. I never got how ppl could enjoy eating/drinking scalding hot substances.

Also, seems like the ignorant as fuck "everything gives you cancer" brigade" has made its appearance.

Newsflash: everything does not fucking give you cancer.

Adittionally, magnitude of risk is important. A carcinogen may cause a few more people out of thousands to develop cancer among those exposed. Another carcinogen may cause a majority of people exposed to it to develop a particular cancer.

Which one am I going to make sure to avoid?

For the irrational, unthinking "everything causes cancer" ppl, it doesn't matter. For someone like me who has a functioning brain and can weigh risks, it does.

There is always a chance you'll get cancer, excluding environmental and dieting choices. That is amplified as you get older, as most cancer patients 60+.
 
The mucosa that lines the oesophagus is made up of epithelial cells that already have a very high turnover to deal with the abrasive effects of eating food and can deal with drinking hot drinks just as well.

So lets turn up the turnover even more in a way that may cause necrosis? Also the effect is more pronounced in the mouth.
 
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