Don't Drink Your Coffee Too Hot, Here's Why...

After twenty-five years of identifying coffee as a potential carcinogen and the leading cause of bladder cancer, the World Health Organization has changed their findings and said that coffee is not a classifiable carcinogen, but all "very hot" drinks may be.

According to the Wall Street Journal, WHO has previously revealed that coffee may be a considered a carcinogen in its 2B category alongside chloroform, lead and many other substances. But now, they said that after doing an in depth study, they didn't find enough evidence to prove that coffee has any carcinogenic effect on other cancers such as cancers of the pancreas, prostate and has even been found to reduce the risk of liver and uterine cancers.

But, before you coffee drinkers out there start ordering your steaming coffee to boost your energy, there is something WHO wants you to know. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) revealed scientific evidence suggesting that drinking anything very hot - around 65 degrees Celsius or above - including water, coffee, tea and other beverages, probably could cause cancer of the esophagus, Reuters reported.

"These results suggest that drinking very hot beverages is one probable cause of esophageal cancer, and that it is the temperature, rather than the drinks themselves, that appears to be responsible," said Christopher Wild, director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

The studies were related to the consumption of a certain beverage in South America called mate or cimarrón. The Washington Post reported that mate and tea are usually taken at temperatures around 158 degrees Fahrenheit or 70 degrees Celsius, which is significantly hotter than how people in North America and Europe have their drinks.

Esophageal cancer is the eighth most common cause of cancer worldwide and one of the main causes of cancer death, with around 400,000 deaths as recorded in 2012.

Mariana Stern, one of the scientists from 10 different countries who was part of the decision-making body that made the determination explained that even if a lot don't understand the mechanisms behind why hot drinks may lead to cancer, there is some evidence showing that they may damage the cells in the esophagus or cause them to go out of control.

She also said the WHO's new conclusion on hot beverages should be taken seriously and people should become more educated about the temperatures of various liquids they ingest.