With the holiday season approaching, many people are ready to enjoy celebrations, often with a drink in hand.
But a new study gives us an important reminder: alcohol, even in small amounts, can raise the risk of cancer. While drinking is common and often seen as part of everyday life, it’s important to understand the long-term effects it may have on our health.
Researchers at Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine recently looked into this topic.
They wanted to learn how different levels of alcohol use—whether light, moderate, or heavy—affect the risk of cancer in American adults. To do this, they reviewed 62 earlier studies.
Some of these studies included as few as 80 people, while others looked at nearly 100 million. They also looked at how other health conditions, like obesity and liver disease, make the risks worse.
Their review showed that both how often and how much people drink can affect cancer risk. Drinking more alcohol increased the chance of getting cancers like breast, colon, liver, oral (mouth), throat, esophagus, and stomach cancer.
Alcohol also made existing health problems worse. For example, people with alcoholic liver disease had more advanced liver cancer and lower chances of survival.
Some people are more at risk than others. This includes African Americans, people with certain genes, and those with obesity or diabetes. The study also found that people with lower income and less education were more affected, even though they didn’t always drink more than others.
Interestingly, following the American Cancer Society’s guidelines—like drinking less, staying active, and eating healthy—was linked to a lower risk of cancer and a lower chance of dying from it. This shows that lifestyle changes can make a big difference.
The study also found that not all alcoholic drinks are equal. In some cases, drinking white wine or beer raised the risk of certain cancers more than other drinks like liquor. Men who drank often had a higher risk of cancer, while for women, heavy drinking now and then was more harmful.
Smoking made the risk even higher for both men and women. Other things, like sun exposure, family history of cancer, and infections like hepatitis or HPV, also made the risks worse.
The researchers explained how alcohol can harm the body. When you drink, your body turns alcohol into a chemical called acetaldehyde, which can damage your DNA.
Alcohol can also change hormone levels, weaken your immune system, and make it easier for harmful substances to get into your body. These effects are worse if you already have other health problems or if your genes make you more sensitive.
The team believes we need to do more to protect people. They suggest stronger public health campaigns, better alcohol warning labels, and special programs for high-risk groups. These could help reduce the number of cancer cases caused by alcohol.
In summary, this study shows that alcohol is more harmful than many people think. The risk doesn’t just come from drinking too much—it also depends on your age, background, health, and lifestyle.
Cancer prevention isn’t just about drinking less. It’s about understanding how drinking interacts with other parts of our lives. By learning more and making smart choices, we can lower our cancer risk and improve our health for the future.
If you care about cancer, please read studies that low-carb diet could increase overall cancer risk, and new way to increase the longevity of cancer survivors.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how to fight cancer with these anti-cancer superfoods, and results showing daily vitamin D3 supplementation may reduce cancer death risk.
The study is published in Cancer Epidemiology.
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