New study by the World Health Organization suggests that one in four new breast cancers and one in five colon cancers in Canada can be attributed to alcohol consumption.
Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a significantly higher risk of various types of cancer, including breast, colon, and oral cancers. This was they key finding of a new study led by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The study, published in the journal Lancet Oncology, focused on data from Canada, where alcohol use was linked to 7,000 new cases of cancer in 2020.
“All drinking involves risk,” said study co-author Dr. Jürgen Rehm, Senior Scientist at the Institute for Mental Health Policy Research in a press release. “And with alcohol-related cancers, all levels of consumption are associated with some risk. For example, each standard sized glass of wine per day is associated with a 6 per cent higher risk for developing female breast cancer.”
There are various potential mechanisms proposed to explain the link between alcohol consumption and cancer development, but the main one involves an impairment in DNA repair, said Dr. Kevin Shield, from the Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, and co-author of the study.
“Additional pathways include chronic alcohol consumption resulting in liver cirrhosis, and alcohol leading to a dysregulation of sex hormones, leading to breast cancer. Alcohol also increases the risk of head and neck cancer for smokers as it increases the absorption of carcinogens from tobacco,” Dr Shield said.
About the study
The study used a mathematical modelling approach, using data from nearly all countries of the world, including surveys and alcohol sales data, which were combined with estimated of relative risk estimates for cancer, based on level of alcohol consumption.
According to the authors of this study, their findings point towards the need to improve public policies and better inform the public about the risks of alcohol consumption. “As an epidemiologist, I would recommend higher taxes to fully reflect the burden of disease from alcohol. Along with limiting the physical availability and marketing of alcohol, price controls are recognized as high-impact, cost-effective measures to reduce alcohol-related harm,” said Dr Rehm.
For a complete list of suggestions made by the Canada-based Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, see this report.