From enjoying a beer with colleagues at the end of a stressful day to sipping a glass of chilled white wine at a family gathering, there’s no doubt that having a drink can be both relaxing and restorative.
After all, as the cliché goes, doesn’t a little of what you crave do you good?
Unfortunately, while the societal value is clear, as an oncologist, when I see a drink flowing, I cannot ignore what scientific research continues to make clear: that consuming any type of alcohol, even in moderate amounts, increases risk. risk of developing cancer.
And not just, as you might expect, liver cancer, but several others, including breast, head and neck, esophageal, colorectal, and stomach cancers.
In a major report released last month, the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) found that drinking just one drink (defined as a bottle of beer, a regular glass of wine, or a shot of liquor) per day increased the risk of developing oral diseases. cancers.
The NCI also found that if you are a woman who drinks seven drinks a week, or a man who has 14 drinks a week, which the NHS classifies as a moderate drinker, then your risk of developing mouth and throat cancer is 1. 8 times more than those who don’t drink.
Only recently, a compelling report from the American Association for Cancer Research estimated that 40 percent of all cancer cases are associated with lifestyle factors that we can change, with alcohol probably being the most prominent.
For those of us who work in this area of medicine, it is not a surprise.
When I see the drink flowing, I cannot ignore what scientific research continues to make clear: that consuming any type of alcohol increases the risk of cancer, writes the PROF. JUSTIN STEBBING
In 2019, more than one in 20 cancer diagnoses in the West were attributed to alcohol consumption, according to the World Health Organization. Again, this was because most people drank at levels that most people did not necessarily classify as excessive.
What is especially worrying, amid this emerging panorama, is the increasing incidence of cancer among younger adults, that is, those under 50 years of age.
Between 2011 and 2019, colorectal cancer rates in this group increased 1.9 percent annually in this country.
To put that figure into context, the average age of bowel cancer diagnosis in the UK is 71 years.
As an oncologist, I see an increasing number of people under 50 with bowel cancer and other cancers, and the rest of the evidence is that excessive social drinking is linked to an increased risk of contracting the disease .
The link between alcohol consumption and an increased risk of cancer is specific to a substance known as ethanol, essentially the alcohol in the drink.
The body breaks down ethanol into a compound called acetaldehyde, which can damage DNA, the blueprint for our cells, and it is this DNA damage that leads to cancer.
It also doesn’t matter if you opt for wine, spirits or beer, it is the breakdown of ethanol that can cause cancer.
That’s why drinking should be considered a grim reversal of playing the lottery.
The more tickets you buy, the more likely you are to make a big profit.
With alcohol, the more you drink, the more likely your cells are to become cancerous.
Alcohol can also make it difficult for the body to absorb nutrients such as vitamins that protect our cells and help reduce the risk of cancer.
It can affect hormone levels and also the good bacteria in the gut, all of which can lead to an increased risk of cancer.
Then there’s the socioeconomic picture: Excessive drinking is associated with an unhealthy, sedentary lifestyle, as well as smoking and obesity, which are themselves important risk factors for the disease.
Of course, cancer can be arbitrary and occur without the risk factors we traditionally understand.
I have treated countless patients who developed the disease despite being thin, fit, non-smokers and non-drinkers and with no family history. Sometimes, as difficult as it is to process, cancer is simply due to bad luck. That’s why it’s so important to raise awareness about things that can increase risk.
And what is clear from the data is that no amount of alcohol is completely safe, despite frequent promises that a glass or red wine is generally “good” for your health.
Additionally, the more you drink, the worse the damage, so heavy drinkers are at greater risk.
But even as an oncologist I understand that we need to enjoy life (especially considering that I treat people forced to face their mortality). I am also aware that alcohol helps us unite, laugh and reaffirm the social fabric of society.
Personally, I don’t drink much because I don’t like it. To be sociable I have a drink from time to time and I have a talent for making a beer last a long time.
But I do think it is important that we spread the message about the NHS recommendations, which state that men and women should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol per week, spread over at least three days.
Of course, at least it gives people an idea of a sensible limit. However, according to research carried out by Drinkaware last year, 82 per cent of adults in the UK are not aware of the specific guideline at all.
Meanwhile, the number of British binge drinkers increased by 13 percent in 2023, according to a report this year from the World Health Organization.
We can’t spend our entire lives wringing our hands wondering how to avoid cancer: life is for living. But we must be aware of the direction of travel, at least when it comes to drinking.
And especially in younger adults. Unlike many cancer risk factors, alcohol consumption is one we can control, whether by drinking a low-alcohol drink, drinking less, or simply not drinking at all.
- Justin Stebbing is an oncologist and professor of biomedical sciences at Anglia Ruskin University.
- Interview by ANGELA EPSTEIN