Alcohol Consumption Linked ⁢to Increased Cancer⁤ Risk

More than ⁢half of Americans don’t know that alcohol increases ⁤their risk of cancer.

Despite the⁤ decline in cancer mortality rates, some cancers are inexplicably increasing in incidence. In​ particular, breast and colon cancers have ​been occurring at increasingly higher rates in ⁤adults under 50 over​ the past 60 ⁣years.⁣ Why?

Alcohol use is pointed out as⁤ one factor driving this trend.‍ It is pointed out that alcohol⁣ consumption is not decreasing due ⁣to ⁢the public perception that moderate drinking is​ good⁣ for heart health. This is what the ⁤New York Times⁢ (NYT) ⁢reported‍ based on​ the latest cancer progress report released ⁣by the American Association for⁤ Cancer Research (AACR) on the 18th (local time).

The report estimates that 40% ⁤of all cancer cases are related to modifiable risk ‍factors. ‍Lifestyle changes such as reducing alcohol consumption, not smoking, maintaining‍ a healthy diet and weight, exercising, avoiding ultraviolet rays, and minimizing exposure to pollutants are important.

The authors of the report called⁤ for awareness-raising public messaging campaigns and the addition of cancer‍ warning labels on alcoholic beverages. The recommendations come amid a ‍fundamental rethinking of ‌the health ‌benefits of moderate ⁣drinking, which ⁢for years‌ was‍ thought to protect against heart⁤ disease.

Last month, a large study that followed⁤ more than 135,000 British ⁤adults for more than ⁣a decade found that moderate​ and light drinking did not help reduce heart disease compared to occasional drinkers. Both moderate and light drinkers had⁤ a higher risk of ⁣dying from cancer than occasional drinkers, ‍and the results ⁣were especially strong among⁢ older people on low incomes and those with existing health⁢ problems.

“Fifty-one percent of people don’t ​know that‌ alcohol increases their cancer risk,” said⁢ Dr.‍ Jane Figueredo, an⁣ epidemiologist at ​the Samuel ⁤Ocean Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai⁣ Medical Center in Boston, who ‌helped write the AACR report. “There’s a myth⁢ out there ​that​ red wine‌ has potential cardiovascular benefits, but ​there are many ways to‌ keep ⁣your heart healthy,” she said. ⁢“These potential​ benefits don’t outweigh the cancer risks.”

The report noted ⁢that excessive drinking increases the risk of six types of malignancies, including squamous⁣ cell carcinoma⁤ of the esophagus, certain ⁤types of ⁤head and neck cancer,⁢ breast cancer,⁣ colon cancer, liver⁢ cancer, and stomach cancer. In 2019, about ⁣5.4% of cancers diagnosed in the United States (1 in 20 cancer diagnoses) were attributed to alcohol consumption.

Public awareness of this is low. One study found that less than a third of women aged 18⁢ to 25 knew that drinking alcohol ​increases the risk ​of breast cancer.

For adults in their 30s, the⁢ incidence of cancer increased significantly between 2010 and 2019. The cancers ‍with the largest increases in 2019 were breast cancer, thyroid ‌cancer, colon cancer, and ⁢rectal cancer, the report‍ said. Early-onset‌ colorectal cancer ⁤in people under 50 increased by 1.9% annually from 2011 to ‍2019.

Fortunately, ​new treatments are prolonging the survival⁤ of cancer patients. ⁤Mortality rates have decreased for ‌women over 50 with breast cancer, and death rates have also‍ decreased for​ older⁢ people with colon cancer.

However, as with stomach cancer and certain blood ‍cancers, the rates ⁢of these cancers are increasing in ‍young⁢ adults. As people with leukemia, melanoma, ​and kidney cancer live⁤ longer, the overall⁢ incidence of these diseases is also increasing.

Although the ⁢factors that increase the risk of⁢ early​ colorectal ​cancer are ‍not well understood, many studies have shown that frequent and regular drinking in early and‍ middle adulthood⁣ is associated with a higher risk ‌of colon and ⁣rectal cancer‍ in‍ later life.

As alcohol consumption increases in middle age, the risk also⁣ worsens. Alcohol has a negative impact ​on the microbiome, the collection of bacteria, ⁢fungi, ‍and viruses that live inside and outside our bodies, Dr. Figueredo ⁤points out. Drinking‍ alters gut​ bacteria, which may ⁤play a role in the growth and spread of cancer.

Alcohol also increases a woman’s risk‌ of breast​ cancer⁣ because it increases ​estrogen hormone levels, which can promote the development⁢ of⁤ the disease. Cutting down on alcohol‌ consumption is one of ​the few ways women can ⁢reduce ⁣their risk of this disease.

Drinking alcohol ⁢during pregnancy⁣ has long been ⁤discouraged for a number of reasons. The AACR report adds a twist: A study found that drinking alcohol during pregnancy increases the risk of childhood leukemia in⁤ children.