A French research team has found that alcohol consumption is linked to several types of cancer, including those of the mouth, throat, esophagus, liver, colon, and breast.
Reducing alcohol intake could potentially lower cancer cases worldwide.
The Connection Between Alcohol and Cancer
Frequent alcohol drinking is is linked to a higher risk of different cancers, according to a new study.
French scientists have shown that drinking less alcohol can greatly reduce this risk. Their research, using data from over 850,000 people addicted to alcohol, showed a 40% drop in cancer risk through treatment or stopping drinking.
"Alcohol consumption is associated with many diseases and harms, including various types of cancer: oral, throat, esophageal, liver, colon, and breast cancer," said Michael Schwarzinger from the Department of Prevention at the University Hospital of Bordeaux, France.
"The disease burden of alcohol-associated cancer is significant, accounting for 4.1% of all cancers worldwide in 2020," he and his co-authors wrote in Lancet Public Health.
Impact of Reduced Alcohol Consumption
The study looked at data from over 650,000 patients with alcohol dependence.
The data, from 10.3 million men and 13.7 million women discharged from hospitals in France between 2018 and 2021, included 645,720 men (6.3%) and 219,323 women (1.6%) with alcohol addiction.
The analysis showed a clear link between drinking less alcohol and fewer cancer cases.
Among those treated for their addiction or who stopped drinking, cancer risk dropped by 42% in men and 38% in women. Liver cancer cases fell by around 50% in both sexes, while esophageal cancer dropped by 36% in men and 41% in women. Colon cancer risk fell by about 40% for both men and women.
Men have a bigger alcohol-related cancer problem because they usually drink more alcohol than women.
"Men are affected by around three-quarters of alcohol-related cancers because they drink more alcohol on average," the researchers noted.
