If you are one of those people that enjoys their tea hot from the pot, perhaps you might want to consider slowing down a bit. Research published on the British Medical Journal website claims that drinking tea at temperatures of 70ºC or more can increase the risk of throat cancer, affecting the oesophagus.

"Compared with drinking warm or lukewarm tea (65°C or less), drinking hot tea (65-69°C) was associated with twice the risk of oesophageal cancer, and drinking very hot tea (70°C or more) was associated with an eight-fold increased risk," according to researchers from New Zealand’s University of Auckland. "Likewise, compared with drinking tea four or more minutes after being poured, drinking tea less than two minutes after pouring was associated with a five-fold higher risk," the study found.

The study was conducted in northern Iran, where the locals drink a lot of tea and suffer from one of the world’s highest rates of oesophageal cancer

However, researchers concluded that "there was no association between the amount of tea consumed and risk of cancer."