A pint of beer may lower your inhibitions, but it also raises your risk of developing cancer, according to the 2014 World Cancer Report.
The report, issued by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), concluded that no amount of alcohol is safe when it comes to cancer risk (although it may reduce a person’s likelihood of developing Multiple Sclerosis).
Researchers noted that alcohol consumption has a causal relationship with certain types of cancers, including:
- Mouth, pharynx, larynx and esophageal cancer
- Colon-rectum cancer
- Liver cancer
- Breast cancer
- Cervical Cancer
Dr. Jürgen Rehm noted that researchers are continuing to discover dangerous links between alcohol and certain types of cancers.
“For the cancers that have been identified as being causally linked with alcohol, we are absolutely certain that alcohol causes these cancers,” said Rehm. “About a few cancers, such as pancreatic cancer, we are not yet certain. We believe that we have good evidence showing that alcohol can cause pancreatic cancer, but we would not go so far as we would for esophageal cancer or breast cancer. And for renal cancer, the IARC has said that there are indications that there may be an effect, but we don’t have the same level of evidence that we have for cancers that are clearly detrimentally linked to alcohol.”
To come to their conclusion, researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 222 studies comprising of 92,000 light drinkers and 60,000 nondrinkers. After looking at the data, researchers found that light drinking was associated with an increased risk of oropharyngeal cancer, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and female breast cancer.
The findings also suggest that it doesn’t matter which type of alcoholic drink you consume, be it beer, wine or liquor. It all increases your risk of cancer, although hard liquor has been deemed the most likely to contribute to esophagus cancer, as the esophagus is lined with very fine cilia that are easily damaged by large concentrations of alcohol.
Dr. Silverman comments
Alcohol should be consumed in moderation, but if you truly want to reduce your risk of developing a cancer caused by alcohol, you’ll need to stop drinking altogether.
Red wine has been linked to some heart benefits, but that doesn’t mean you should be putting down a bottle of Pinot Noir every night. Consume responsibly, and make sure you eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly.
Related source: Medscape
