Does alcohol cause cancer? Studies

• The United States Surgeon General has released a report warning that alcohol is associated with cancer.
• He cited 4 recent studies to demonstrate that alcohol should have warning labels like cigarettes.
• Some scientists disagree: Another major report, published in December, found that alcohol had benefits.

Dr. Vivek Murthy, U.S. surgeon general, said Americans need to know there is a link between alcohol and cancer, citing four recent studies.

Murthy said all alcoholic beverages should carry cancer warning labels, a measure Congress would have to design and approve.

In a new report released Jan. 3, Murthy described research that has persuaded him — and other health professionals — that alcohol is a serious and underrecognized health problem.

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Here’s the data that supports Murthy’s view, with a few caveats:

How Alcohol Causes Cancer

There are four ways alcohol causes cancer, Murthy said, citing a 2021 study on nutrients.

The first two are widely accepted, he writes. Most doctors agree that when alcohol breaks down in the body, it can bind to DNA, damage cells and fuel tumors. There is also strong evidence that alcohol can cause inflammation, which is linked to cancer.

The study points to more recent research that suggests alcohol may influence hormones like estrogen, paving the way for breast cancer, although it’s not clear exactly how.

Another emerging idea is that alcohol appears to be a melting pot for other toxins. Tobacco, for example, dissolves in alcohol, which could make it easier for the body to ingest, according to the study.

3 studies linking alcohol to cancer

To support his argument for warning labels, Murthy pointed to a 2015 meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Cancer, which found “a significant relationship” between alcohol consumption and seven cancers.

The team of researchers from Italy, the United States, France, Sweden and Iran examined data from 572 studies involving 486,538 cancer cases. They compared the cancer risk of heavy drinkers with that of occasional drinkers and non-drinkers.

They found that excessive alcohol consumption was linked to cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, colorectum, liver, larynx and breast.

Murthy also referenced a 2020 study, published in Nature, that specifically looked at alcohol as a risk factor for head and neck cancer.

The research involving around 40,000 people in 26 studies found that heavier drinking – consuming more drinks per day and drinking more years of life – was correlated with a higher risk of head and neck cancer.

The third important study highlighted by Murthy was a 2018 global systematic analysis looking at alcohol-related deaths in 195 countries over a 26-year period. This report, published in The Lancet, concluded that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption when it comes to cancer.

Every report has caveats. For example, the 2015 meta-analysis used different alcohol measures, and the 2018 study did not distinguish between drinking habits, such as heavy drinking or moderate drinking. of alcohol.

Yet the studies are comprehensive, significant, and have informed many doctors who say alcohol is a serious health problem.

Some scientists disagree

Murthy said he was motivated to release the report because surveys suggest that more than half of Americans do not recognize a link between alcohol and cancer.

The science behind alcohol, however, is not simple.

Some of the healthiest people in the world – in Mediterranean countries and blue zones – drink wine daily. Researchers believe that the social aspect of alcohol could have important beneficial effects on longevity.

Additionally, Murthy’s report conflicts with a major report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, released in December.

The paper, which will be used to inform the new 2025 Dietary Guidelines, reveals that moderate drinkers have a lower risk of premature death from heart attack or stroke than people who don’t drink at all. It also revealed an increased risk of breast cancer.

The Department of Health and Human Services is expected to release its own analysis of the latest science on alcohol in the coming weeks.