Even Moderate Alcohol Consumption linked to Cancer Risk

The researchers found that light to moderate drinking was not associated with a statistically significant increased risk for cancers overall.

“There is evidence in the literature that obesity after menopause, lack of regular exercise, consuming greater than more or more alcoholic beverages daily, and a high fat diet can all be associated with a higher breast cancer risk”, Pruthi notes. Of these, 9016 cancers in women and 1611 in men had a known link to alcohol consumption, including tumours of the colorectum, female breast, oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, liver and oesophagus.

In order to reach the findings, researchers analysed the data of around 88,084 women and 47,881 men who participated in studies like Nurses’ Health Study in 1980 and Health Professionals Follow-up Study in 1986.

Though scientists have always been aware of a link between heavy drinking and an increased for cancer, a new study by a team of researchers at Harvard suggests that even light or moderate alcohol consumption can raise ones risk for developing the disease.

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Specifically for women, the potential modest elevated risk of alcohol-related cancers, primarily breast cancer, should also weigh against potential benefits on cardiovascular diseases.”

On the other hand, women, whether they had ever smoked or not, showed an increased risk for alcohol-related cancer with the consumption of just one drink a day.

But he adds that “people with a family history of cancer, especially women with a family history of breast cancer, should consider reducing their alcohol intake to below recommended limits, or even abstaining altogether, given the now well established link between moderate drinking and alcohol related cancers”. The result for women, however, showed that there was an association with alcohol consumption and cancer even with women who did not smoke. This factor comes into focus while analyzing results of the study in relation to prostate, colon and breast cancers. However, the risk was raised for men who had smoked, the researchers found. “The present study reinforces this statement”, Rehm said. The decision still depends on the person but at least for the part of health experts and researchers, they can confidently say that they have done their part in disseminating important health information.

If you want to reduce your risk for cancer, curb your drinking, advised Rehm, who wrote an accompanying journal editorial. “Less drinking is better”. As such, this study aimed to fix this by isolating alcohol consumption.