Very hot drinks may cause cancer, but coffee does not, says WHO

Organisation's cancer research agency says beverages consumed at more than 65C are probably linked to oesophageal cancer

The World Health Organisation has cleared coffee of causing cancer, but a detailed investigation has found that very hot drinks may be linked to cancer of the oesophagus, or gullet.

Coffee was classified as a possible cause of cancer in 1991, but the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is part of WHO, has now reconsidered the evidence. It carried out a detailed review of the many studies published on the subject and found that coffee drinkers have no reason to worry.