Africa's oesophageal cancer corridor: Do hot beverages contribute?

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Hot beverage consumption has been linked to oesophageal squamous cell cancer (EC), but its contribution to the poorly understood East African EC corridor is not known.

Methods

In a cross-sectional study of general-population residents in Kilimanjaro, North Tanzania, tea drinking temperatures and times were measured. Using linear regression models, we compared drinking temperatures to those in previous studies, by socio-demographic factors and tea type ("milky tea" which can be 50 % or more milk and water boiled together vs "black tea" which has no milk).

Results

Participants started drinking at a mean of 70.6 °C (standard deviation 3.9, n = 188), which exceeds that in all previous studies (p ≤ 0.01 for each). Tea type, gender and age were associated with drink

SUBMITTER: Munishi MO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4838015 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature