In a new study, researchers found a new association between more restrictive alcohol policies and lower rates of cancer mortality.
The research was conducted by a team at Boston Medical Center and Boston University
Alcohol consumption has long been related to a number of health conditions but has recently been identified as an emerging risk factor for developing at least seven different types of cancer.
Previous studies have estimated approximately 20,000 cancer deaths are attributable to alcohol in the United States annually.
However, no studies have looked into whether stronger (i.e. more restrictive) alcohol policies are associated with rates of alcohol-attributable cancers.
The researchers examined the link between more restrictive alcohol policies and the number of alcohol-related cancer deaths per state from 2006 to 2010.
They assigned each state an Alcohol Policy Scale score based on the presence and implementation of twenty-nine different alcohol regulations, including restrictions on the number of locations allowed to sell alcohol, state tax laws, and others.
Policy Scale Scores were then related to rates of alcohol-attributable cancers by state using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Alcohol-Related Disease Impact application for cancers of the esophagus, mouth and throat, liver, prostate (among men) and breast (among women).
The team found that for all cancers combined, more restrictive policies were associated with a reduced risk of cancer mortality.
A 10% increase in the strength of alcohol policies (calculated based on their Policy Scale Scores) was associated with an 8.5% relative decrease in cancer deaths.
The findings, which were similar among men and women, underscore the potential impact that public health policies can have on preventing cancers at the population level.
The team says that implementing effective policies to reduce alcohol consumption is a promising means of cancer prevention that merits further research.
One author of the study is Timothy Naimi, MD, MPH, a physician and researcher at both Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Public Health.
These findings are published in the journal Chemico-Biological Interactions.
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