Even Small Amounts of Alcohol Raise Cancer Risk
Just 9g of Alcohol Per Day
Increases Oral Cancer Risk by 50%
A new study has found that drinking even a single glass of any type of alcohol each day increases the risk of oral cancer by 50%.
On December 24 (local time), researchers at the Maharashtra Cancer Epidemiology Center in India announced that after analyzing data from 1,803 oral cancer patients and 1,903 healthy controls diagnosed at five medical centers between 2010 and 2021, they found that consuming just 9g of alcohol per day-the equivalent of one glass of whiskey-increased the risk of oral cancer by about 50% compared to non-drinkers. Even beer containing less than 2g of alcohol per day was associated with an increased risk of oral cancer.
The increased risk was observed across all types of alcohol, including beer, whiskey, and vodka. In particular, those who consumed locally fermented alcoholic beverages, which are commonly consumed in India, saw their risk soar by up to 87%, adding to the shock. Although there is a common perception that fermented alcohol is healthier, it was actually much more closely linked to a higher risk of oral cancer.
Furthermore, the researchers reported that using both alcohol and chewing tobacco together raised the risk of oral cancer by more than four times. In India, where chewing tobacco is widespread, the combination of alcohol and chewing tobacco had a significant impact on the incidence of oral cancer. However, regardless of the duration of tobacco use, alcohol remained the primary factor in increasing the risk of oral cancer.
The researchers emphasized, "These results indicate that there is no safe threshold for alcohol consumption when it comes to the risk of oral cancer." Of course, the link between alcohol and cancer is not limited to oral cancer; a growing body of research shows that alcohol consumption increases the risk of various cancers, including esophageal cancer, laryngeal cancer, liver cancer, colorectal cancer, and breast cancer.
Meanwhile, in July, the American Heart Association (AHA) published a controversial paper in the journal Circulation, stating that drinking one to two light alcoholic beverages per day does not increase-and may even lower-the risk of coronary artery disease or stroke. Experts, including healthcare professionals, strongly criticized this, stating, "Even a single drop of alcohol increases the risk of cancer."
In fact, numerous epidemiological studies, including this one, indicate that alcohol (ethanol) is converted into the carcinogen acetaldehyde during metabolism in the human body, which is known to promote DNA damage. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified alcohol as a Group 1 human carcinogen.
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