Alcohol Is Linked to 6 Types of Cancer
In the past, alcohol in moderation was thought to be good for your health. After all, the Mediterranean diet usually includes a glass of wine with dinner. However, new studies are beginning to show there is a clear link between alcohol and a number of health problems, including cancer.
A new report from the American Association for Cancer Research found 40% of all cancers in the U.S. are associated with modifiable risk factors — behaviors we can change — including alcohol. Alcohol is considered the third biggest risk factor behind obesity and cigarette smoking.
Four in 10 cancers diagnosed in the United States yearly are related to potentially preventable causes. Learn about cancer risk reduction and prevention in the AACR Cancer Progress Report: https://t.co/BU56f8QgSI pic.twitter.com/eEUEMLFyyq
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Excessive levels of alcohol consumption increase the risk for six types of cancer: certain types of head and neck cancers; esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; and breast, colorectal, liver and stomach cancers.
According to the report, 5.4% of cancers were attributed to alcohol consumption in 2019. Research also shows that alcohol intake at an early age can increase cancer risk later in life. Based on these findings, limiting or eliminating alcohol can reduce the risk of developing alcohol-related cancers by 8% and the risk of all cancers by 4%.
“About 75,000 Americans each year are diagnosed with cancer that is linked in some way to alcohol use. The more someone drinks both in volume and frequency, the higher the risk,” said Kathleen Egan, ScD, an epidemiologist at Moffitt Cancer Center. “Alcohol is a toxin. More than half of Americans are not aware that alcohol increases cancer risk, per this report.”
When we drink, our bodies break down alcohol into acetaldehyde, a known carcinogen that can damage DNA. That damaged DNA can create mutations that can cause cancer.
Another study recently published in JAMA Network shows that any alcohol consumption is bad for your health. It not only found associations between heavy drinking and increased risk of dying from cancer in older alcohol drinkers in the U.K., but also reported increased risk for cancer death in moderate drinkers. Previous research had reported lower associations of low to moderate alcohol consumption.
With so many conflicting studies, it is confusing to know how much alcohol is too much. Studies can have biased results if they include a nondrinking group of people who quit drinking due to a range of health reasons, Egan says.
“In the recent prospective studies that excluded recent quitters or persons with a lot of morbidities, the picture changes and alcohol tends to look at best neutral with respect to longevity,” she said. “For the cancers linked to alcohol, the association is very clear. Reducing or eliminating alcohol will reduce the risk of developing them.”
