Alcohol Can Increase Your Cancer Risk, Researchers Find (cbsnews.com) 37
The world's oldest and largest cancer research association "found excessive levels of alcohol consumption increase the risk for six different types of cancer," reports CBS News:
"Some of this is happening through chronic inflammation. We also know that alcohol changes the microbiome, so those are the bacteria that live in your gut, and that can also increase the risk," Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News, recently said on "CBS Mornings."
But how much is too much when it comes to drinking? We asked experts what to know. "Excessive levels of alcohol" equates to about three or more drinks per day for women and four or more drinks per day for men, Gounder said... Other studies have shown, however, there is no "safe amount" of alcohol, Gounder said, particularly if you have underlying medical conditions. "If you don't drink, don't start drinking. If you do drink, really try to keep it within moderation," she said.
Dr. Amy Commander, medical director of the Mass General Cancer Center specializing in breast cancer, told CBS News alcohol is the third leading modifiable risk factor that can increase cancer risk after accounting for cigarette smoking and excess body weight. [Other factors include physical inactivity — and diet]. "There really isn't a safe amount of alcohol for consumption," she said. "In fact, it's best to not drink alcohol at all, but that is obviously hard for many people. So I think it's really important for individuals to just be mindful of their alcohol consumption and certainly drink less."
The article also includes an interesting statistic from the association's latest Cancer Progress Report: from 1991 to 2021 there's been a 33% reduction in overall cancer deaths in the U.S. That's 4.1 million lives saved — roughly 136,667 lives saved each year.
"So that is hopeful," Commander said, adding that when it comes to preventing cancer, alcohol is just "one piece of the puzzle."
But how much is too much when it comes to drinking? We asked experts what to know. "Excessive levels of alcohol" equates to about three or more drinks per day for women and four or more drinks per day for men, Gounder said... Other studies have shown, however, there is no "safe amount" of alcohol, Gounder said, particularly if you have underlying medical conditions. "If you don't drink, don't start drinking. If you do drink, really try to keep it within moderation," she said.
Dr. Amy Commander, medical director of the Mass General Cancer Center specializing in breast cancer, told CBS News alcohol is the third leading modifiable risk factor that can increase cancer risk after accounting for cigarette smoking and excess body weight. [Other factors include physical inactivity — and diet]. "There really isn't a safe amount of alcohol for consumption," she said. "In fact, it's best to not drink alcohol at all, but that is obviously hard for many people. So I think it's really important for individuals to just be mindful of their alcohol consumption and certainly drink less."
The article also includes an interesting statistic from the association's latest Cancer Progress Report: from 1991 to 2021 there's been a 33% reduction in overall cancer deaths in the U.S. That's 4.1 million lives saved — roughly 136,667 lives saved each year.
"So that is hopeful," Commander said, adding that when it comes to preventing cancer, alcohol is just "one piece of the puzzle."
Obligatory Joe Jackson Reference (Score:3)
And everything is Good For You. (Score:2)
In short, there are no guarantees in life. You all end up under the dirt.
You can take precautionary steps to stave it of.
But that's just what they are. PRECAUTIONARY. Not a "cure"
Because REALITY hates you and is trying, earnestly to kill you (some more earnestly than others.)
Excessive levels of anything are bad for you. (Score:2)
Film at eleven.
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Ever heard of the phrase "came and went"?
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Happiness?
People with Williams Sydrome [wikipedia.org] are unusually happy but often have heart problems.
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Indeed.
Re: Excessive levels of anything are bad for you. (Score:2)
Alcohol is a (pleasant) poison (Score:3)
If you drink enough to enjoy it, you're past the point where your body is keeping up with filtering it out of your system as quickly as it is introduced.
You're stressing your system when you do that. Excessive stresses cause premature aging and, eventually, cancer.
Unfortunately, everything you do stresses you in one way or another. Somehow you have to figure out how to balance enjoying life with the odds that what you're enjoying will end you earlier that you might otherwise die. I know I can't do that math, so I'd tend to listen to the experts.
Don't drink unless you really enjoy it, and even then don't drink alcohol in large quantities. Getting obviously drunk is almost certainly drinking too much.
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If you drink enough to enjoy it, you're past the point where your body is keeping up with filtering it out of your system as quickly as it is introduced.
You're stressing your system when you do that. Excessive stresses cause premature aging and, eventually, cancer.
Unfortunately, everything you do stresses you in one way or another. Somehow you have to figure out how to balance enjoying life with the odds that what you're enjoying will end you earlier that you might otherwise die. I know I can't do that math, so I'd tend to listen to the experts.
Don't drink unless you really enjoy it, and even then don't drink alcohol in large quantities. Getting obviously drunk is almost certainly drinking too much.
Everything that's fun or tastes good will kill you so be miserable to guarantee yourself a long life ... of misery.
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Or, I dunno, find some other way to enjoy yourself that doesn't involve drugs. You don't need to drink to enjoy yourself, and if you think you do, you likely already have a dependency.
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That's not typically how it works. If you indulge too much in the harmful stuff you're more likely to have a slow and undignified end. And it'll be early on top of all that.
You have to balance it all out, but the math on that is horrendously complicated so most people give up and do whatever they feel like and then are surprised when consequences comes calling a few decades later.
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Water is a poison (Score:2)
Excessive levels of anything is dangerous - that is why it is called excessive. Evidence that "excessive levels" of alcohol are
No shit (Score:2)
Anything good is bad for you. Where do you think the phrase the devil sends a limo, Jesus makes you walk come from?
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Well, life is bad for you. It causes the most deadly condition (100% mortality rate) of them all: Ageing. If you are sane, then you stay informed and make reasonable risk management decisions, but that is it.
Also, living long is not a benefit if you do nothing worthwhile with that time. Or if you do less than you could have done living shorter.
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People want to make believe that alcohol is somehow different than cocaine, heroin or other drugs. They want to believe that it being legal and socially acceptable somehow magically makes it not a harmful drug.
Basically, a good many people are infantile.
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"Oxygen which is vital to life can damage your cells and kill you if you receive an overdose."
And how do you "receive an overdose" of oxygen?
"People have even died from water intoxication."
But that doesn't make water a poison. It appears you are trying to claim that everything is a poison, which people 500 years ago might believe but we won't.
" Just because something is toxic does not guarantee that it is also a carcinogen."
But none of these terms even mean anything to you.
"So yes, this is news, especially
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"And how do you "receive an overdose" of oxygen?"
Well opening the valve of an oxygen tank too far could do it.
Not News (Score:2)
Fallacious Logic (Score:2)
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There's a mountain of evidence that alcohol fucks up the liver (when your liver processes alcohol it produces toxic chemicals that cause damage primarily to itself and other places). That alone signs you up to play cancer Russian roulette. If the liver is damaged, and isn't functioning at 100%, that means your body has an elevated toxin load. That toxin load, one has to believe is damaging to cells and DNA.
Alcohol ----fucks up the liver (via many pathways, but most relevantly the ADH enzyme breaks it down i
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"That alone signs you up to play cancer Russian roulette."
Citation please. Your religion is not evidence.
"If the liver is damaged, and isn't functioning at 100%, that means your body has an elevated toxin load."
No it doesn't. You need more toxins to have an elevated toxin load.
"furthermore, the fucked up liver cannot detox"
Citation please. More religion.
"... the toxins ---> fucks up other shit --> DNA damage -->damaged DNA in the wrong place --> Congratulations, here's cancer."
Pathetic.
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Alcohol can cause cancer though .. I explained how in my other comment, and probably weed does contribute to or can cause cancer as well (Bob Marley died of cancer).
Ah, yes? (Score:2)
I was under the impression that this has been known for several decades?
Acetaldehyde (Score:2)
Would you drink acetaldehyde (a chemical classified as a Group 1 carcinogen [which means it's a cancer-causing chemical] )? No? how about if we mixed it with lime juice? Or with coca cola? Still no? Well, that's what alcohol is broken down into in the liver and stomach lining by the ADH enzyme.
CA Prop 65? (Score:2)
I can't tell from the summary or the article, but it sounds like this study was performed in California where Prop65 reigns. ;-)
Stop inferring weakness for drinking alcohol! (Score:1)
I just hate this added inference that many in the field have been adding, that the people who do consume alcohol (a not insignificant percentage of humans!), are somehow to be pitied and given some leeway for their 'weakness'.
Humans, around the planet, have been consuming alcohol in some form for milenia!!!!!!
I'll not deny the effects of excessive alcohol consumption,as cle