Alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States after tobacco and obesity. Yet fewer than 50% of Americans were aware of the association of alcohol and cancer. This compares to 89% who identified smoking’s relationship to cancer.
This January the U.S. surgeon general released a report that links drinking alcohol with developing seven different types of cancer – including mouth, throat, voice box, esophagus, breast, liver and colorectal.
Observational studies that have been conducted look at people in the real world and take into consideration other factors that can contribute to cancer risk, such as smoking and age. They also rely on self reporting and historically because alcohol is perceived as an unhealthy behavior by some there is a tendency for underreporting the actual amount consumed.
It is estimated that in 2020, 741,000 of all new cancer cases worldwide were attributable to alcohol. Most of these cases were cancers of the esophagus, liver and breast. The vast majority of new cases were tied to drinking the equivalent of two or more drinks per day
How exactly does alcohol cause cancer? One theory is when the body breaks down alcohol into acetaldehyde this chemical damages the DNA leading to unchecked cell growth. Another theory is drinking alcohol increases the levels of estrogen which would explain the strong link between alcohol and breast cancer.
The bottom line is any alcohol consumption increases cancer risk to some extent. Today we are seeing a dramatic rise in cancer rates especially among younger people. So eliminating or avoiding any risk factors will lessen the chance of you getting cancer.
Terry Pfau DO, HMD