According to a recent analysis by US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, alcohol use raises the risk of at least seven different kinds of cancer, including oral, colorectal, liver, and breast cancers. He underlined the importance of cancer risk warnings for alcoholic beverages. Dr. Murthy claims that alcohol use directly causes 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 associated deaths yearly.
According to reports, alcohol intake is thought to be connected with around 16.4% of all breast cancer occurrences.
“Many people believe that as long as they are consuming within the current guidelines one drink a day for women and two for men there is no risk to their health or well-being,” Dr. Murthy added. “With regard to cancer risk, the data refutes that assumption.”
Important Connection between Cancer and Alcohol
The research of Dr. Murthy emphasizes the relationship between drinking and cancer. Most Americans, US Surgeon General observed, are not aware of this major health concern.
The Way Alcohol Creates Cancer
The paper identified four processes by which alcohol could aggravate cancer development:
- Alcohol converts into acetaldehyde, a poisonous chemical that destroys DNA, therefore raising cancer risk.
- While aggravating inflammation, alcohol causes oxidative stress that destroys DNA, proteins, and cells.
- Alcohol alters oestrogen levels, which increases the risk of oestrogen-sensitive malignancies including breast cancer.
Alcohol helps the body to absorb carcinogens more effectively.
Alcohol Intake and Cancer Risk
Drinking more alcohol increases your chances of cancer. Evidence for several cancers, including breast, oral, and throat cancers, points to even little alcohol intake—about one drink or less—increasing risk. Conversely, according to studies, long-term decrease or cessation of alcohol use is linked to decreased incidence of various alcohol-related malignancies.
