A cold beer on a hot afternoon, a glass of wine with dinner, a brandy or liqueur to cap off the evening... alcohol is one of life's pleasures for many people. But this is one of those cases where too much of a good thing can have bad consequences. Among all the other reasons for avoiding or limiting alcohol here's one you may not know - it can help reduce your risk of getting cancer (1-3).
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified alcohol as a "carcinogen", a substance that can cause cancer (1;2;4). How? There are several ways alcohol can increase cancer risk (1;4):
By breaking down ethanol in alcoholic drinks to "acetaldehyde", a toxic chemical; acetaldehyde can damage both DNA and proteins
Through a process called oxidation that can damage DNA and lipids (fats)
By hampering the body's ability to break down and absorb nutrients needed to maintain health and fight disease
By increasing blood levels of estrogen, a sex hormone linked to the risk of breast cancer
Types of cancer that are especially impacted by alcohol include head and neck cancers (particularly involving the oral cavity), liver cancer, esophageal cancer, breast cancer and colorectal cancer (2). Additional studies continue to confirm the unhealthy relationship between alcohol and cancer. For example, a meta-analysis of 57 studies found that people who regularly drank 50 grams or more of alcohol a day (about three and half drinks) were one and a half times more likely to get colorectal cancer than non-drinkers or occasional drinkers (5).
Isn't red wine supposed to be good for you?
People are understandably confused by conflicting messages, such as the one about the heart healthy benefits of resveratrol, which is found in red wine: research results about the heart benefits of alcohol are not conclusive (6;7). A study suggested that moderate alcohol consumption may help lower the risk of some (not all) heart conditions (6). More recently, the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction’s guidance on alcohol consumption pointed to research suggesting that a small amount of alcohol does not increase or lower the risk of coronary heart disease, specifically, but does increase the risk of other types of cardiovascular disease like high blood pressure and heart failure (7).
Avoiding alcohol is your safest option. If you choose to drink, guidelines from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction recommend: no more than two drinks a week for both women and men (7).
"Responsible" drinking is imperative for social, economic, ethical, physical and legal reasons. Being aware of the association between alcohol and serious diseases, including cancer, may provide additional motivation to "cut yourself off" and enjoy a longer, healthier life.
