Alcohol use is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the US – report
Alcohol use is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the U.S., after tobacco and obesity, according to a new advisory from the U.S. surgeon general.
The advice, released on Friday, found that alcohol use contributes to almost 100,000 cases of cancer and around 20,000 cancer deaths each year. The study also found that alcohol-related cancer deaths shorten the lives of those who die by an average of 15 years.
According to the advisory, breast cancer in women represents the largest burden of alcohol-related cancer in the US, with an estimated 44,180 cases in 2019, representing 16.4% of the approximately 270,000 total cases of breast cancer in women.
In women, breast cancer is responsible for approximately 60% of alcohol-related cancer deaths. Meanwhile, liver cancer, at about 33%, and colorectal cancer, at about 21%, make up the majority of alcohol-related cancer deaths in men.
Overall, consuming alcohol increases the risk of developing at least seven types of cancer. In addition to colorectal cancer and breast cancer, alcohol consumption increases the risk of mouth, throat, esophagus, voice box and liver cancer.
The advisory also found that about 83% of the estimated 20,000 alcohol-related cancer deaths in the U.S. annually occur among people who drink above the federally recommended limit of two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women. It also stated that the remaining 17% of the estimated 20,000 annual deaths from alcohol-related cancer occur at levels within recommended limits.
The advisory listed four ways alcohol can cause cancer, including the breakdown of alcohol into acetaldehyde in the body, which damages DNA in several ways, increasing the risk of cancer. Alcohol can also cause oxidative stress, which increases the risk of cancer by damaging DNA, proteins and cells and increasing inflammation. The third way is alcohol’s ability to change the levels of multiple hormones, including estrogen, which can increase the risk of breast cancer. Alcohol consumption can also lead to increased absorption of carcinogens.
Despite the clear link between alcohol consumption and cancer risk, less than half of Americans are actually aware of the risk. According to a 2019 survey cited in the advisory, 45% of Americans recognize alcohol use as a risk factor for cancer, compared to 91% of Americans who recognize the risk of radiation exposure, 89% of tobacco use, 81 % of asbestos exposure and 53% of Americans who recognize the risk of radiation exposure. % for obesity.
Friday’s advisory is not the first report to highlight the link between alcohol consumption and cancer risk.
In August, a similar report from the Autonomous University of Madrid found that harms associated with drinking may be greater for people in poorer health. According to researchers, risky drinking carried a higher risk of dying from cancer or cardiovascular disease.
Moreover, a report Research from the American Association of Cancer Research published in September found that heavy alcohol use increased the risk of six types of malignancies. These include esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, as well as certain types of head, neck, breast, colorectal, liver and stomach cancers, the New York Times reported, citing the report.