title: Africa's oesophageal cancer corridor: Do hot beverages contribute?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Hot beverage consumption has been linked to oesophageal squamous cell cancer (EC), but its contribution to the poorly understood East African EC corridor is not known.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a cross-sectional study of general-population residents in Kilimanjaro, North Tanzania, tea drinking temperatures and times were measured. Using linear regression models, we compared drinking temperatures to those in previous studies, by socio-demographic factors and tea type ("milky tea" which can be 50 % or more milk and water boiled together vs "black tea" which has no milk).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants started drinking at a mean of 70.6 °C (standard deviation 3.9, n = 188), which exceeds that in all previous studies (p ≤ 0.01 for each). Tea type, gender and age were associated with drinking temperatures. After mutual adjustment for each other, milky tea drinkers drank their tea 1.9 °C (95 % confidence interval: 0.9, 2.9) hotter than drinkers of black tea, largely because black tea cooled twice as fast as milky tea. Men commenced drinking tea 0.9 °C (-0.2, 2.1) hotter than women did and finished their cups 30 (-9, 69) seconds faster. 70 % and 39 % of milky and black tea drinkers, respectively, reported a history of tongue burning.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hot tea consumption, especially milky tea, may be an important and modifiable risk factor for EC in Tanzania. The contribution of this habit to EC risk needs to be evaluated in this setting, jointly with that of the many risk factors acting synergistically in this multi-factorial disease.
authors.affiliation: Kilimanjaro Clinical Research Institute, Box 2236, Moshi, Tanzania.
authors.forename: Michael Oresto
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Munishi
authors.affiliation: Section of Environment and Radiation, International Agency for Research on Cancer, 150 cours Albert Thomas, 69008, Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hanisch
authors.affiliation: Kilimanjaro Clinical Research Institute, Box 2236, Moshi, Tanzania.
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Mapunda
authors.affiliation: Kilimanjaro Clinical Research Institute, Box 2236, Moshi, Tanzania.
authors.forename: Theonest
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ndyetabura
authors.affiliation: Kilimanjaro Clinical Research Institute, Box 2236, Moshi, Tanzania.
authors.forename: Arnold
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ndaro
authors.affiliation: Section of Environment and Radiation, International Agency for Research on Cancer, 150 cours Albert Thomas, 69008, Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schüz
authors.affiliation: Kilimanjaro Clinical Research Institute, Box 2236, Moshi, Tanzania.
authors.forename: Gibson
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kibiki
authors.affiliation: Section of Environment and Radiation, International Agency for Research on Cancer, 150 cours Albert Thomas, 69008, Lyon, France. mccormackv@iarc.fr.
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: McCormack
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004326:Drinking; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000077277:Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma; D005260:Female; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008892:Milk; D012307:Risk Factors; D013636:Tanzania / Q000453:epidemiology; D013662:Tea; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D013662:Tea
keywords: Hot beverages; Oesophageal cancer; Tanzania; Tea