It’s long been known that no amount of alcohol is good for the body – and now new research highlights the potential damage it can cause.
More than 5% of all cancer cases are caused by drinking alcohol, according to the 2024 Cancer Progress Report from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).
Among the modifiable risk factors for cancer, alcohol is the third largest, after obesity (7.6% of cases) and smoking (19.3%).
“Excessive levels of alcohol consumption increase the risk of six different types of cancer, including some types of head and neck cancer, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and breast, colorectal, liver, and stomach cancers,” said Rajarshi Sengupta, PhD. lead author of the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2024, in a statement sent to Fox News Digital.
“Furthermore, research shows that drinking alcohol at an early age can increase the risk of cancer later in life.”
Based on these findings, limiting or eliminating alcohol can reduce the risk of developing alcohol-related cancers by 8% and the risk of all cancers by 4%, the report noted.
Addiction expert warns of dangers
There has been a “roller coaster of information” about whether alcohol is harmful, according to addiction psychiatrist Dr. Adam Scioli of Caron Treatment Centers in Pennsylvania.
“There have been reports for years that it can be beneficial to one’s health — but we now know that alcohol ingestion is one of the modifiable risk factors for cancer,” said Scioli, who is not affiliated with AACR, for Fox News Digital. .
About 75,000 Americans each year are diagnosed with a cancer that is related in some way to alcohol use, according to Scioli.
The more someone drinks — both in volume and frequency — the higher the risk, he warned.
“Alcohol is a toxin,” Scioli said.
“We’ve known for a long time that it affects any number of organs, basically starting with the brain and going all the way to the colorectal system.”
Is there a “safe” amount?
Moderate alcohol use is defined as one drink or less per day for women.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for men it is two drinks or less per day.
“Drinking alcohol in moderation may increase the overall risk of death and chronic disease,” the agency said on its website.
“Even low levels of alcohol use (less than one drink per day) can increase the risk of some cancers.”
Scioli agreed, stressing that “we can say that there is no additional health benefit from drinking alcohol.”
“The line between safety and risk is debatable and is different for each person.”
While risk factors such as tobacco use are widely known, public awareness of the link between alcohol and cancer is still low, according to Sengupta.
Most Americans (51%) are not aware that alcohol increases the risk of cancer, according to AACR data.
“It’s flown under the radar for a long time — especially given the number of Americans who meet the criteria for alcohol use disorder, which is about 29 million Americans in 2023,” Scioli said.
What should change?
The good news, according to Scioli, is that with modifiable risk factors like alcohol, reducing intake lowers the risk.
As the report states, those who are successful in reducing alcohol or abstaining below those moderate risk levels will see a reduction in risk in overall cancers, he noted.
“We need to do a much better job of making the public aware of the dangers inherent in drinking alcohol — especially moderate or heavy drinking,” Scioli said.
“And we need to make the public aware that there are mechanisms by which they can access help if they are unable to moderate their drinking or quit on their own.
To help raise awareness, AACR’s Sengupta called for public messaging campaigns, “such as cancer-specific warning labels displayed on alcoholic beverages.”
Along with this, she told Fox News Digital, “clinically effective strategies that reduce or eliminate alcohol consumption should be considered to reduce the burden of alcohol-related cancers.”
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