Is drinking hot tea bad for your body? What will happen if you drink hot tea for a long time?

Drinking hot tea and eating hot food, the hotter it is, the more refreshing it is, the more you eat, the better it tastes.

Some old people will directly gulp the tea that has just been boiled, still emitting heat, and then they will "ha" exhale after drinking. It is not clear whether it is because of being burned or having a craving for it. However, their hearts are actually particularly worried each time, afraid that they will be scalded.

We often eat things like high-temperature dishes such as hot pot, and we may make this kind of small mistakes while eating them. Even if it touches our tongue or the roof of our mouth, it's no big deal because we think we can recover quickly. Have you ever thought that your body can take such hot food?

One, what temperature can the oral cavity and esophagus accept?

Our mouth and esophagus are actually very sensitive, with a surface covered in soft mucous membrane. Normally, the temperature of the mouth and esophagus ranges from 36.5°C to 37.2°C, which is close to our normal body temperature, and we can withstand high temperatures of around 50°C to 60°C. So, it's most suitable for food intake at a temperature of between 10°C and 40°C.

If we have tea with a temperature of 75 degrees Celsius or higher, the mucous membranes in our mouths and throats can easily be lightly burned. But why don't we feel obvious pain?

Because the blood circulation in these areas is very rapid and rich, the damaged tissues will soon fall off, grow back, and repair. Occasionally a little "slight injury" is not too big of an issue and can recover quickly, but long-term drinking hot tea or eating hot food makes things more complicated.

Long-term consumption of hot tea leads to consequences

Mouth or Oral cavity

Food that is too hot can burn the gums. This first mouthful, before I even had a chance to recover from it, another mouthful of hot tea was on my tongue again... If this continues, the gums will not be able to withstand it and it may cause ulcers in the mouth. In addition, extremely hot food may also cause teeth sensitivity, making teeth increasingly afraid of heat.

Esophagus

After the esophagus is burned, it also activates self-repair mechanisms. During the repair process, some abnormal "replacement" cells are formed. These cells become more and more numerous, leading to qualitative changes. The diseased cells continuously expand until they block the esophagus, causing a sensation of swallowing an object during swallowing.

Three: Research on Overheated Tea and Esophageal Disease

While it's been said that drinking hot tea is absolutely not going to cause esophageal disease, it does greatly increase the risk of having an esophageal disease.

As early as 2011, a prominent British medical journal, The BMJ, ran an article saying drinking tea hotter than 69 degrees Celsius increases the risk of oesophageal cancer. It sparked quite a reaction in Europe, where there is a strong love for red tea.

Researchers surveyed 48582 residents using a questionnaire, according to the statistics of 300 patients with esophageal disease found through screening, they admitted that they have a habit of drinking tea regularly.

Research results show: people who drink tea above 70°C have an 800% higher risk of esophageal cancer.

People who drink tea at a temperature of 65-69°C have twice the risk of illness compared to those who drink at lower temperatures.

The risk factor is 5 times greater for tea that's brewed less than two minutes compared to tea that's been steeped four minutes.

But this article does not give an optimal drinking temperature of tea, just a general rule: "Don't drink over 70 ℃ tea."

Four, drinking tea should not be too hot or too cold.

People who love drinking tea all like to drink hot tea, thinking that the tea is more fragrant and tastier after being burned in the mouth. Some young people prefer iced tea, which they put in the refrigerator overnight so it's cold when you drink it.

Chinese medicine's answer to the temperature of tea-drinking is — drinking warm tea!

Those who are warm will not be hot or cold. Their nature is gentle and most suitable for drinking tea. Similarly, based on traditional Chinese medicine theory, the same cup of tea can have vastly different health effects when drunk hot or cold. ——

Consuming cold tea will cause the stagnation of phlegm caused by chilliness in the stomach; drinking hot tea, due to its cool nature, uses body heat to ascend and scatter, making people feel temporarily clear-minded and refreshed; whereas, drinking warm tea is the most effective way as it brings down the internal fire with the cooling nature of tea and gets rid of it naturally through urination.

V. Conclusion

Based on the above analysis, I may not be able to give you a standard answer in reading this article, and also tea preference varies from person to person. However, one thing should be very clear - it's best to drink warm tea, and preferably four minutes after brewing.

What do you think?