Drinking alcohol boosts cancer risk

Alcoholic beverages are carcinogens, according to the United States National Toxicology Program. A n…

Alcoholic beverages are carcinogens, according to the United States National Toxicology Program. A new observational study confirms that alcohol consumption increases the risk of a number of cancers.

The study published in the May 23, 2013 issue of European Journal of Epidemiology shows that high alcohol consumption was associated with increased risk of total cancer, upper aerodigestive tract cancer, cancers in the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, colorectal cancer and liver cancer.

R. Everatt from Vilnius University inVilnius, Lithuania and colleagues conducted the epidemiological study and found that consumption of equal to or greater than 140 grams of alcohol per week was associated with 36 percent increased risk for total cancer, compared with consumption of 0.1 to 10 grams per week.

Alcohol consumption can increase certain cancers more drastically. The higher alcohol consumption increased the risk for upper aerodigestive tract cancer by 179 percent and alcohol-related cancers including cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, colorectal cancer, and liver cancer by 88 percent.

Drinking alcohol 2 to 7 times per week, compared to drinking a few times per year, was associated with 45 percent increased risk for total cancer, 83 percent increased risk for alcohol related cancers and 35 percent increased risk for other cancers.

The researchers estimated that "about 13 % of total, 35 % of upper aerodigestive tract, 22 % of alcoholrelated and 10 % of other cancer cases (in Lithuania) were due to alcohol consumption in this cohort of men."