Mind the Temperature: Small Habits That Protect Your Health

That hot cup of tea or pap may feel good, but how hot is too hot?

A Habit We Rarely Question

For many Nigerians, drinking something very hot is normal. It could be a cup of tea in the morning, hot pap before class, hot water, or a plate of pepper soup served straight from the fire.

But have you ever stopped to think about how hot your drink is before taking that first sip?

Research has linked regularly drinking very hot beverages, particularly those above 65°C, with an increased risk of cancer of the oesophagus, the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach.

The Danger Nobody Talks About

Some people drink very hot water because they believe it has benefits such as helping the voice when singing or making the voice sound lighter. However, drinking something simply because it is very hot does not make it safer for the body.

In September 2026, a study led by researchers from the University of Oxford examined data from nearly one million people in the United Kingdom. The researchers found that people who reported drinking beverages at very hot temperatures had about three times the risk of developing oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma compared with those who preferred their drinks warm.

This does not mean that drinking one hot cup of tea will cause cancer. The research looked at people’s regular drinking habits and the risk associated with them over time.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer has also classified drinking very hot beverages, particularly above 65°C, as probably carcinogenic to humans because of the evidence linking them with oesophageal cancer.

The message is not that people should stop drinking tea, coffee or pap. Rather, it is important to allow very hot drinks to cool before drinking them.

What Can You Do?

One simple step is to wait for a few minutes after preparing your drink before taking it.

If the drink is still too hot, you can allow it to cool further or add some cooler water where appropriate. The goal is not to measure every cup with a thermometer. It is simply to avoid regularly drinking beverages that are extremely hot.

For students who often rush to lectures with a cup of tea or coffee, this may mean waiting a little longer before drinking it.

When You Break a Fast

After fasting, drinking enough water is important because the body needs to replace lost fluids. The water does not have to be hot to do this.

There is also no established medical requirement that water must be warm after fasting, and there is no good evidence that drinking cool water causes the body to go into a harmful “shock.”

If you have been fasting for a long time and are very thirsty, drinking gradually may be more comfortable than taking a large amount at once.

A Small Habit Worth Considering

Many of the things we do every day are habits we rarely question. We eat quickly, drink hot beverages and sometimes continue doing things simply because that is how we grew up doing them.

But learning about possible health risks gives us an opportunity to make better choices.

For many students, taking tea, pap or coffee while it is still very hot is normal. However, knowing the possible risks should make us more careful.

The next time your drink is too hot, you may simply need to wait a few minutes before taking that first sip.