Tea and all its antioxidants are normally thought of as aids against cancer, but a new study published in the British Medical Journal showed that consuming especially hot tea may cause esophageal cancer. The authors showed that people drinking very hot black tea (hotter than 70 degrees Celsius) were eight times more likely to suffer from throat cancer. Drinkers of hot tea (65-69C) were twice as likely to suffer from esophageal cancer, while drinkers were safe if they drank warm tea (cooler than 65C).

The findings do not incriminate tea itself, since the amount of tea consumed had no relationship to cancer. "These results certainly don't point to tea itself being the problem," said a spokesman for Cancer Research UK quoted in a BBC report. Instead, the cancer risk increased with the temperature and speed at which the tea was consumed.

The findings are particularly important for Beijing residents, who not only frequently encounter hot tea, but also bai kaishui, or plain boiled water, popular in China.

The finding may help explain why the Iranian populations studied had high rates of esophageal cancer, despite rating low on risk factors like smoking and drinking. A previous study on rates of esophageal cancer in men worldwide showed that China, along with Iran, has some of the world's highest rates of the disease.

How to protect yourself:

First and foremost, enjoy tea and other hot drinks at warm temperatures, lower than 65 degrees Celsius. Drinkers of coffee, boiled water, and other hot drinks should also be careful not to enjoy their drinks at excessively hot temperatures.

Adding milk or simply waiting four minutes or more before consuming tea should be enough to avoid risk.

And tea-lovers don't need to cut down on tea, since increased tea consumption had no link to cancer. All that's necessary is to wait for your cup cool from scalding to warm.