The World Health Organization’s research arm has downgraded its classification of coffee as a possible carcinogen, declaring there isn’t enough proof to show a link to cancer. 
 
 But the International Agency for Research on Cancer, or IARC, also announced in a report published on Wednesday that drinking “very hot” beverages of any kind could potentially raise the cancer risk, and it classified them as “probably carcinogenic” to humans. 
 
 In particular, it cited countries including China, Iran and those in South America, where teas such as the bitter herbal infusion mate are traditionally drunk at extremely high temperatures — above 65 or 70 degrees Celsius (150 or 160 Fahrenheit) — considerably hotter than drinks would normally be served in cafes across North America and Europe. 
 
 Experts convened by the Lyon-based IARC concluded that there was inadequate evidence to suggest coffee might cause cancer, according to a letter published in the Lancet Oncology. 
 
 “I’m not really sure why coffee was in a higher category in the first place,” said Owen Yang, an epidemiologist at Oxford University who has previously studied the possible link between coffee and cancer. He was not part of the IARC expert group. “The best evidence available suggests that coffee does not raise the cancer risk,” he said. 
 
 Drinking very hot beverages, however, just might. 
 
 Dana Loomis, deputy head of the IARC program that classifies carcinogens, said they began to look into a possible link after seeing unusually high rates of esophageal cancer in countries where drinking very hot beverages is common. He said that even at temperatures below 60 degrees Celsius (140 Fahrenheit), hot beverages can scald the skin, and that consuming drinks at even higher temperatures could be harmful. 
 
 Loomis said very hot beverages might cause a “thermal injury” in the throat that could eventually promote the growth of tumors, but that evidence was limited. He said there wasn’t enough evidence to suggest if eating very hot food might also be risky. 
 
 Other experts said that people should remain focused on the leading causes of cancers including of the esophagus and that there were more important changes they could make other than waiting for their drinks to cool. 
 
 “Quitting smoking and reducing alcohol consumption are much more significant for reducing cancer risk than the temperature of what you’re drinking,” said Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society. Brawley said the cancer risk posed by drinking hot beverages was similar to that posed by eating pickled vegetables. 
 
 Still, he welcomed the news that coffee would no longer be deemed a possible carcinogen. 
 
 “As a heavy coffee drinker, I have always enjoyed my coffee guilt-free,” he said. “But now there is scientific evidence to justify that.” 
 
 Last Update: Wednesday, 15 June 2016 KSA 16:16 - GMT 13:16 ||||| LONDON (Reuters) - There is no conclusive evidence that drinking coffee causes cancer, the World Health Organization’s cancer agency said on Wednesday in a reverse of its previous warning, but it also said all “very hot” drinks are probably carcinogenic. 
 
 The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) had previously rated coffee as “possibly carcinogenic” but has changed its mind. 
 
 It now says its latest review found “no conclusive evidence for a carcinogenic effect” of coffee drinking and pointed to some studies showing coffee may actually reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer. 
 
 “(This) does not show that coffee is certainly safe ... but there is less reason for concern today than there was before,” Dana Loomis, the deputy head of IARC’s Monograph classification department told a news conference. 
 
 At the same time, however, IARC presented other scientific evidence which suggests that drinking anything very hot - around 65 degrees Celsius or above - including water, coffee, tea and other beverages, probably does cause cancer of the oesophagus. 
 
 A cup of coffee served at a coffee shop in Caracas, Venezuela, February 26, 2015. REUTERS/Jorge Silva/File Photo 
 
 Lyon-based IARC, which last year prompted headlines worldwide by saying processed meat can cause cancer, reached its conclusions after reviewing more than 1,000 scientific studies in humans and animals. There was inadequate evidence for coffee to be classified as either carcinogenic or not carcinogenic. 
 
 IARC had previously put coffee as a “possible carcinogen” in its 2B category alongside chloroform, lead and many other substances. 
 
 The U.S. National Coffee Association welcomed the change in IARC’s classification as “great news for coffee drinkers”. 
 
 The Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee, whose members are six of the major European coffee companies - illycaffè, Jacobs Douwe Egberts, Lavazza, Nestlé (NESN.S), Paulig, and Tchibo - said IARC had found “no negative relationship between coffee consumption and cancer”. 
 
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 LET IT COOL 
 
 In its evaluation of very hot drinks, IARC said animal studies suggest carcinogenic effects probably occur with drinking temperatures of 65 Celsius or above. Some experiments with rats and mice found “very hot” liquids, including water, could promote the development of tumours, it said. 
 
 The agency said studies of hot drinks such as maté, an infusion consumed mainly in South America, tea and other drinks in several countries including China, Iran, Japan and Turkey, found the risk of oesophageal cancer “may increase with the temperature of the drink” above 65 Celsius. 
 
 “These results suggest that drinking very hot beverages is one probable cause of oesophageal cancer and that it is the temperature, rather than the drinks themselves, that appears to be responsible,” said IARC’s director, Christopher Wild. 
 
 Oesophageal cancer is the eighth most common cause of cancer worldwide and one of the main causes of cancer death, with around 400,000 deaths recorded in 2012. 
 
 The WHO’s official spokesman in Geneva, Gregory Hartl, stressed that smoking and drinking alcohol were among the most serious risk factors for oesophageal cancer and urged people to focus on reducing these as a priority. He said IARC’s evaluation of hot drinks was based on limited available evidence in humans and animals and more research is needed. 
 
 “We say: be prudent, let hot drinks cool down,” he told Reuters, adding that the WHO’s advice was to “not consume foods or drinks when they are at a very hot - scalding hot - temperature”. 
 
 Drinking very hot beverages is now classified as probably carcinogenic in IARC’s group 2A category, alongside red meat and nitrogen mustard. 
 
 But David Spiegelhalter, a professor of the Public Understanding of Risk at Britain’s University of Cambridge, said he was concerned that IARC’s review would confuse people. 
 
 “Last year the IARC said that bacon is carcinogenic, but it became clear that when eaten in moderation it is not very risky. In the case of very hot drinks, the IARC concludes they are probably hazardous, but can’t say how big the risk might be,” he said in an emailed comment. “This may be interesting science, but makes it difficult to construct a sensible response.”
– Celebrate the latest news from the WHO with a cup of joe: The organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer is set to reverse its rating of coffee as "possibly carcinogenic" Wednesday, noting there is "inadequate evidence" linking the beverage to cancers of the bladder, pancreas, and prostate. The WHO labeled coffee as a possible carcinogen—along with chloroform and lead—back in 1991, but recent research hasn't backed up the decision, reports the Verge. In fact, some research suggests coffee may actually reduce the risk of cancers in the liver and uterus, reports the Wall Street Journal, based on the IARC's review of some 1,000 studies. Mate herbal tea was also found to be safe as long as it doesn't scald your throat. "Very hot" drinks above 149 degrees Fahrenheit, however, likely cause cancer of the esophagus, the IARC says. Several experiments on rodents found "very hot" liquids promoted the development of tumors, reports Reuters. "It is the temperature, rather than the drinks themselves, that appears to be responsible," IARC's director adds, per AFP. Tea is often served at 158 degrees in Iran, China, and South America, per the Verge. But while coffee is best brewed at 195 to 205 degrees, the National Coffee Association says it should only be consumed once it has reached a "comfortable temperature."