Drinking alcohol is linked to six types of cancer, experts warn

New research shows alcohol dramatically increases our risk of six potentially deadly cancers as experts warn the Aussie habit is “toxic to human cells”.

It’s long been known that no amount of alcohol is good for the body — and now new research spotlights the potential harm it can cause.

An estimated 3500 cancers diagnosed in Australian adults every year can be attributed to alcohol use, according to the Cancer Council Australia.

New research shows that long-term chronic use of alcohol can dramatically increase the risk of six different types of cancer, according to the Cancer Progress Report 2024 from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

Among the modifiable risk factors for cancer, alcohol is the third biggest, behind obesity (7.6 per cent of cases) and cigarette smoking (19.3 per cent), Fox News reports.

“Excessive levels of alcohol consumption increase the risk for six different types of cancer, including certain types of head and neck cancer, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and breast, colorectal, liver and stomach cancers,” Rajarshi Sengupta, PhD, lead author of the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2024, told the publication.

“Further, research shows that alcohol intake at an early age can increase the risk of cancer later in life.”

New research shows that long-term chronic use of alcohol can increase the risk of six different types of cancer. Picture: iStock

Based on these findings, limiting or eliminating alcohol can reduce the risk of developing alcohol-related cancers by 8 per cent and the risk of all cancers by 4 per cent, the report noted.

Addiction expert warns of risks

There has been a “roller coaster of information” about whether alcohol is harmful, according to addiction psychiatrist Dr Adam Scioli of Caron Treatment Centers in Pennsylvania.

“There have even been reports for years that it could be beneficial for one’s health — but we know now that alcohol ingestion is one of the modifiable risk factors for cancer,” Dr Scioli, who is not affiliated with AACR, told Fox News.

The more someone drinks — both in volume and frequency — the higher the risk, he warned.

“Alcohol is a toxin,” Scioli said.

“We’ve long known that it impacts any number of organs, essentially starting with the brain and working its way down to the colorectal system.”

Drinking alcohol is ‘toxic to human cells’, experts warn. Picture: iStock

Is there a ‘safe’ amount?

To reduce the risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury, healthy men and women should drink no more than 10 standard drinks a week and no more than 4 standard drinks on any day, according to Australian guidelines.

However stats show that more than one in four (26.8 per cent) adults exceeded the Australian Adult Alcohol Guideline in 2022.

In the US, the recommended limit is much lower, with moderate alcohol usage defined as one drink or less in one day for women, while for men, it is two drinks or fewer per day.

“Drinking alcohol in moderation may increase your overall risks of death and chronic disease,” the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated on its website.

“Even low levels of alcohol use (less than one drink per day) can raise the risk of certain cancers.”

While the dangers of smoking are widely know, the bad side to drinking booze isn’t widely publicised, the report claims. Picture: iStock

Scioli agreed, emphasising that “we can definitely say there’s no added health benefit to ingestion of alcohol”.

“The line between safety and danger is debatable, and is different for each person.”

While risk factors like tobacco use are widely known, public awareness about the link between alcohol and cancer is still low, according to Sengupta.

Most people (51 per cent) are not aware that alcohol increases cancer risk, according to the new AACR data.

“It’s been flying under the radar for far too long — especially given the number of Americans who have met the criteria for alcohol use disorder, which is around 29 million Americans in 2023,” said Scioli.

What needs to change?

The good news, according to Dr Scioli, is that with modifiable risk factors like alcohol, reducing the intake decreases the risk.

As the report stated, those who are successful in decreasing their drinking or abstaining below those moderate risk levels will see a risk reduction in overall cancers, he noted.

“We need to do a much better job of making the public aware of the risks inherent in drinking — particularly moderate to heavy drinking,” Dr Scioli said, adding alcohol is “toxic to human cells”.

“We need to make the public aware that there are mechanisms by which they can access help if they are unable to moderate their drinking or quit on their own.”

To help raise awareness, Sengupta of the AACR called for public messaging campaigns, “such as cancer-specific warning labels displayed on alcoholic beverages.”

Along with that, she said “effective clinical strategies that reduce or eliminate alcohol consumption must be considered to reduce the burden of alcohol-related cancers”.

This article originally appeared on Fox News and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Drinking alcohol is linked to six types of cancer, experts warn