Put down that drink. There is strong evidence that alcohol causes at least seven types of cancer, a review has concluded.
Writing in the journal Addiction, Jennie Connor at the University of Otago in New Zealand says alcohol is estimated to have caused about half a million deaths from cancer in 2012 alone – 5.8 per cent of cancer deaths worldwide. She found evidence of a link between drinking and cancer of the mouth and throat, larynx, oesophagus, liver, colon, bowel and breast.
“We see the risk increasing as the amount of alcohol consumed increases, and we agree that there is solid evidence to conclude that alcohol consumption directly causes cancer,” says Susannah Brown, science programme manager for the World Cancer Research Fund.
Although the highest risks are from heavy drinking, people who drink at low levels are still at risk. According to Connor, there is no safe level of drinking when it comes to cancer.
This sentiment is in line with UK guidance. In January, the UK’s chief medical officers said that no level of regular drinking is without risks to health, and reduced the weekly recommended limit for men down to 14 units, to match advice for women.
The exact biological reasons for why alcohol causes cancer remain unclear. One theory is that alcohol can damage DNA, causing harmful mutations.
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