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Alcohol and cancer
Alcohol and cancer have a complex relationship. Alcohol causes cancers of the oesophagus, liver, breast, colon, oral cavity, rectum, pharynx, and larynx, and probably causes cancers of the pancreas. Cancer risk can occur even with light to moderate drinking. The more alcohol is consumed, the higher the cancer risk, and no amount can be considered completely safe.
Alcoholic beverages were classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 1988. An estimated 3.6% of all cancer cases and 3.5% of cancer deaths worldwide are attributable to consumption of alcohol (more specifically, acetaldehyde, a metabolic derivative of ethanol). 740,000 cases of cancer in 2020 or 4.1% of new cancer cases were attributed to alcohol.
Alcohol is thought to cause cancer through three main mechanisms: (1) DNA methylation, (2) oxidative stress, and (3) hormonal alteration. Additional mechanisms include microbiome dysbiosis, reduced immune system function, retinoid metabolism, increased levels of inflammation, 1-carbon metabolism and disruption of folate absorption.
Heavy drinking consisting of 15 or more drinks per week for men or 8 or more drinks per week for women contributed the most to cancer incidence compared with moderate drinking. The rate of alcohol related cases is 3:1 male:female, especially in oesophageal and liver cancers. Some nations have introduced alcohol packaging warning messages that inform consumers about alcohol and cancer. The alcohol industry has tried to actively mislead the public about the risk of cancer due to alcohol consumption, in addition to campaigning to remove laws that require alcoholic beverages to have cancer warning labels.
In 2020, approximately 740,000 cases of alcohol-related cancers were identified globally with
More than three-quarters of the 740,000 cases were in men.
In the United States of America, alcohol-related cancer rates were highest in the following states: Delaware, Colorado, Washington, D.C., New Hampshire, and Alaska. Conversely, alcohol-related cancer rates were lowest in the following states: Kentucky, Arizona, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Utah.
From 2013 to 2016, approximately 19,000 (4%) cancer-related deaths in the United States were attributed to alcohol consumption each year, with breast cancer and esophageal cancer deaths being the most common in women and men respectively.
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Alcohol and cancer AI simulator
(@Alcohol and cancer_simulator)
Alcohol and cancer
Alcohol and cancer have a complex relationship. Alcohol causes cancers of the oesophagus, liver, breast, colon, oral cavity, rectum, pharynx, and larynx, and probably causes cancers of the pancreas. Cancer risk can occur even with light to moderate drinking. The more alcohol is consumed, the higher the cancer risk, and no amount can be considered completely safe.
Alcoholic beverages were classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 1988. An estimated 3.6% of all cancer cases and 3.5% of cancer deaths worldwide are attributable to consumption of alcohol (more specifically, acetaldehyde, a metabolic derivative of ethanol). 740,000 cases of cancer in 2020 or 4.1% of new cancer cases were attributed to alcohol.
Alcohol is thought to cause cancer through three main mechanisms: (1) DNA methylation, (2) oxidative stress, and (3) hormonal alteration. Additional mechanisms include microbiome dysbiosis, reduced immune system function, retinoid metabolism, increased levels of inflammation, 1-carbon metabolism and disruption of folate absorption.
Heavy drinking consisting of 15 or more drinks per week for men or 8 or more drinks per week for women contributed the most to cancer incidence compared with moderate drinking. The rate of alcohol related cases is 3:1 male:female, especially in oesophageal and liver cancers. Some nations have introduced alcohol packaging warning messages that inform consumers about alcohol and cancer. The alcohol industry has tried to actively mislead the public about the risk of cancer due to alcohol consumption, in addition to campaigning to remove laws that require alcoholic beverages to have cancer warning labels.
In 2020, approximately 740,000 cases of alcohol-related cancers were identified globally with
More than three-quarters of the 740,000 cases were in men.
In the United States of America, alcohol-related cancer rates were highest in the following states: Delaware, Colorado, Washington, D.C., New Hampshire, and Alaska. Conversely, alcohol-related cancer rates were lowest in the following states: Kentucky, Arizona, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Utah.
From 2013 to 2016, approximately 19,000 (4%) cancer-related deaths in the United States were attributed to alcohol consumption each year, with breast cancer and esophageal cancer deaths being the most common in women and men respectively.