Risk factors for cancer such as diet, smoking status and exercise levels are both well known and well promoted, receiving a lot of attention from the public health media. But your alcohol intake also has a big influence on cancer risk and is often overlooked.
Cancer mortality rates in Australia have dropped dramatically over the past two decades, thanks to advances in early detection and treatment; as well as increased awareness of cancer risk factors.
Through successive public campaigns, we’re now very aware of the cancer risks of processed red meat and not getting enough exercise, not to mention smoking or being unprotected in the sun for too long.
But alcohol’s influence on cancer is less talked about. Sure, there is a lot of publicity surrounding alcohol addiction and the damage it can wreak on your body generally, but less about how alcohol is directly responsible for an estimated one in 20 (5.6 per cent) of all cancer cases in Australia.
Alcohol usage particularly increases the risk for colorectal, liver, stomach, breast, head, neck, mouth and throat cancers and starting drinking at an early age greatly increases the chances of cancer later in life.
Even low amounts influence cancer risk
Now, a study of all-cause mortality among older adults in the UK has strengthened the link between even low and moderate alcohol use and cancer.
The analysis of 135,103 older drinkers found that even low-risk drinking was associated with generally higher mortality among older adults, but particularly for deaths from cancer.
“We observed a detrimental association of even low-risk drinking in individuals with socioeconomic or health-related risk factors, especially for cancer deaths,” the report reads.
“Low-risk drinking was associated with higher cancer mortality and moderate-risk drinking with higher all-cause [death] and cancer.”
The report notes that rates of alcohol use are higher among low socio-economic groups, which in turn leads to higher cancer rates in the same groups, driving inequality.
“These results have important public health implications because they identify inequalities in the detrimental health outcomes associated with alcohol that should be addressed to reduce the high burden of disease of alcohol use.”
Across the Atlantic, new research from the American Association for Cancer Research shows the alcohol awareness problem is not just limited to Australia.
In the US, alcohol leads to a similar percentage of cancer cases (5.4 per cent) as Australia, but the researchers found more than half (51 per cent) of Americans did not know alcohol increases the risk of certain types of cancer.
“Unfortunately, awareness about the link between alcohol and cancer is still low, highlighting the need for public messaging campaigns, such as cancer-specific warning labels displayed on alcoholic beverages, along with effective clinical strategies to reduce the burden of alcohol-related cancers,” the report reads.
Can I have any alcohol?
Unfortunately, the evidence suggests even drinking small amounts of alcohol will increase your cancer risk.
But the reality is the vast majority of us will drink alcohol at least occasionally. The Cancer Council says that if you’re going to drink, you should follow the National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines, which recommend you limit your intake to no more than 10 standard drinks a week and no more than 4 standard drinks on any one day.
How many standard drinks do you have per week? Are you worried about your cancer risk? Let us know in the comments section below.
Also read: If I’m diagnosed with one cancer, am I likely to get another?
