Recent studies by Dr. Vivek Murthy, the United States (US) Surgeon General, found that the over-consumption of alcohol can lead to seven different types of cancer. Dr. Murthy’s report describes the importance of minimizing alcohol consumption according to hhs.gov. Reducing the amount of alcohol from one drink per day to one drink per week shows a 15-20 percent lower chance of developing one of seven types of cancer, according to The New York Times. Cancer is the leading disease of death in the US, with 10 million deaths last year. It accounts for one in every six deaths, according to who.int.
Consuming alcohol disrupts cell cycles by causing inflammation and damage made to Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). This can lead to out of control cell growth, which then becomes cancer. Alcohol makes it easier for cells for absorb cancer-causing chemicals, causing the deformed cells to metastasize, according to cdc.gov. The Center of Disease Control emphasized the importance of putting limits on alcohol consumption.
“Studies show that drinking three or more drinks that contain alcohol per day increases the risk of stomach and pancreatic cancers,” the CDC said. “Drinking alcohol may also increase prostate cancer risk. All kinds of drinks that contain alcohol increase the risk of cancer. Drinking less alcohol is better for your health than drinking more.”
Many adults who are avid alcohol consumers are more prone to alcohol associated cancers. Adult drinkers are more susceptible to cancers such as, squamous cell carcinoma, larynx, esophagus, colon, rectum, liver, and breast cancer, according to cdc.gov. Dr. Anna Hopkins, a researcher at Edith Cowan University, described how drinks that contain ethanol can lead to cancer, according to cdc.gov.
“Ethanol can increase estrogen in the body, which increases the risk of breast cancer,” Dr. Hopkins said, according to cdc.gov. “The breakdown of ethanol in the body can also create high levels of acetaldehyde, which can damage DNA and cause liver, head and neck, and esophageal cancers.”
Dr. Hopkins suggests that adults who consume smaller amounts of alcohol or no alcohol at all have lower cancer diagnosis rates. For adults who choose to consume alcohol, the recommended amount of alcohol per day is one to two drinks that contain 14 grams. The CDC recommends that men consume two or less drinks a day and suggests women have one or less drink a day because different sexes processes ethanol differently, according to niaa.nih.gov. The difference between males and females stem from the in-body-water-content. A male body makes up around 55-65 percent of water and a female body makes up 45-55 percent. The male body can dilute alcohol faster, according to health.cornell.edu. Thus, the intake rate of alcohol is different from female to male. The lower the intake of alcohol and the following of recommended amounts can help lower the chances of getting cancer, according to cdc.gov. The CDC spoke about the alarming number of cancer cases that arise from alcohol.
“Each year, about 20,000 adults in the United States die from alcohol-associated cancers,” the CDC said, according to cdc.gov. “It is estimated most of these deaths may have been avoided if all adults had followed the recommended limits on alcohol use in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans instead of drinking above them.”
Featured Image by Addie Callaway ’27
