July 22,
2016 -- A new analysis finds compelling evidence that drinking alcohol can
cause at least seven types of cancer.
It found
that heavy drinkers are at the highest risk, but even low to moderate drinkers
are more likely to get certain cancers than non-drinkers.
The
review of evidence, published in the journal Addiction, also says studies
claiming alcohol can help protect against heart disease should be treated with
skepticism.
Health
experts say the review strengthens the need to increase public awareness that
drinking alcohol is a cause of cancer.
The new
analysis by Professor Jennie Connor, PhD, of the University of Otago in
Dunedin, New Zealand, examined studies on alcohol and cancer over the last 10
years.
It finds
sufficient evidence to conclude that drinking increases the risk for areas of
the body that come into direct contact with alcohol and where it may damage
DNA, which is a known cause of cancer. The seven areas are:
- Mouth and throat
- Esophagus
- Larynx, or voice box
- Liver
- Colon
- Rectum
- Breast
While
previous reviews have only been able to note a link between alcohol and cancer,
the latest examination of the most recent research is strong enough to say that
alcohol is a cause of these cancers, according to the analysis.
"There
is strong evidence that alcohol causes cancer at seven sites, and probably
others," Connor writes.
"From
a public health perspective, alcohol is estimated to have caused approximately
half a million deaths from cancer in 2012; 5.8% of cancer deaths world-wide.
The highest risks are associated with the heaviest drinking, but a considerable
burden is experienced by drinkers with low to moderate consumption."
The
review also found some evidence to show that stopping drinking could reverse
the risk of throat, larynx, and liver cancers.
New Guidance
Professor
Dorothy Bennett, PhD, director of the Molecular and Clinical Sciences Research
Institute at St. George's, University of London, comments in a statement:
"Alcohol enters cells very easily, and is then converted into
acetaldehyde, which can damage DNA and is a known carcinogen.
"It’s
not clear that there are any new implications” from the analysis, since health
experts already recommend drinking in moderation, Bennett says. But, she says,
it could strengthen support for the existing message.
Earlier
this year, chief medical officers in the United Kingdom issued new guidance,
warning that any amount of alcohol increases the risk of getting a range of
cancers. They admitted that the risks were not fully understood when previous
advice was issued in the mid-1990s.
"This
important review reinforces the need for the public to be made aware of the
causal link between alcohol and cancer,” Colin Shevills, from the Alcohol
Health Alliance UK, says in a statement. “Research shows that only around 1 in
10 people are currently aware of the alcohol-cancer link.
"People
have the right to know about the impact of alcohol on their health, including
its link with cancer, so that they can make informed choices about how much
they drink."
For its
part, the American Cancer Society recommends that people who drink alcohol limit
themselves to no more than two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for
women.
“Alcohol
use has been linked to several types of cancer and other health risks, but this
is complicated by the fact that low-to-moderate alcohol intake has been linked
with a lower risk of heart disease,” the cancer society says on its website.
“Still, lowering the risk of heart disease is not a compelling reason for
adults who don’t drink alcohol to start.”
Peter
Russell
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