Alcohol and Cancer Risk

The simple versionExplain▾

Alcohol can cause cancer. This is true no matter whether the alcohol comes from beer, wine, or liquor. The part that raises risk is the alcohol itself, called ethanol.

Scientists have studied this for many years. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, a part of the World Health Organization, lists alcohol as a known cause of cancer in people.

When it comes to cancer risk, drinking less is better than drinking more.

Which cancers are linked to alcoholExplain▾

Drinking alcohol raises the risk of several cancers. The clearest links are with cancers of the:

• Mouth and throat
• Voice box (larynx)
• Esophagus (the tube that carries food to the stomach)
• Liver
• Breast
• Colon and rectum (colorectal cancer)

Some studies also suggest possible links to other cancers, such as stomach and pancreatic cancer. The evidence is strongest for the cancers listed above.

The more you drink, the higher the riskExplain▾

Research shows a clear pattern: the more alcohol a person drinks, the higher their risk of these cancers. Heavy drinking raises risk the most.

But heavy drinking is not the only concern. Even light drinking adds some risk. For example, women who have just one drink a day have a higher risk of breast cancer than women who have less than one drink a week.

This does not mean one drink will cause cancer. It means that, across many people, more alcohol leads to more cancer. There is no amount of alcohol known to be completely free of cancer risk.

How alcohol can cause cancerExplain▾

Researchers have found several ways alcohol may lead to cancer:

• When the body breaks down alcohol, it makes a harmful chemical called acetaldehyde. This chemical can damage DNA.
• Alcohol can create unstable molecules that damage cells.
• It can make it harder for the body to absorb some helpful nutrients.
• In the mouth and throat, it can make it easier for other harmful chemicals, like those in tobacco smoke, to get in.
• It can raise the level of estrogen in the blood, which is linked to breast cancer.

Alcohol and tobacco togetherExplain▾

Using alcohol and tobacco at the same time is especially risky. People who both drink and smoke have a much higher risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, voice box, and esophagus than people who only drink or only smoke.

For mouth and throat cancers, the harm from using both is greater than simply adding the two risks together. Cutting back on both, or stopping, offers the biggest benefit.

What about red wine?Explain▾

You may have heard that red wine is good for you. Red wine contains a plant compound called resveratrol that has been studied for health effects. But research has not found that moderate red wine drinking lowers cancer risk. Red wine is not a way to prevent cancer.

It is never too lateExplain▾

Studies show that when people stop drinking, their risk of some cancers goes down over time. This is clearest for cancers of the mouth and esophagus, and possibly for throat, breast, and colorectal cancers.

It may take years for the risk to return to that of someone who never drank. Even so, cutting back or stopping can help. If you want support to drink less, your health care team can point you to helpful resources.

Putting the risk in perspectiveExplain▾

Numbers about cancer risk can be confusing, so a few points help. Scientists often describe "relative risk," which compares one group to another. A rise in relative risk does not always mean a large change in your personal, day-to-day chance of cancer.

For a common cancer like breast cancer, even a small relative risk can affect many people. For a less common cancer, a larger relative risk may still mean a small personal chance. Both matter, but in different ways.

The overall message from health agencies is steady and simple:

• No amount of alcohol is known to be completely free of cancer risk.
• More drinking means more risk, and heavy or binge drinking raises it the most.
• Cutting back lowers risk, and there is benefit at any level of reduction.

Health guidelines do not recommend that people who do not drink start drinking for any reason. For those who do drink, official advice is to keep it moderate, and drinking less is always better for cancer risk. This is one clear, controllable step among the many ways to protect your health.