by Brocky Wilson
04/27/2021 – A common refrain among people who like to drink a glass or two of wine every night is that wine, when taken in moderation, is good for your health. Red wine, in particular, is said to be heart-healthy because it’s chock-full of antioxidants.
But a recent study suggests that when it comes to cancer risk, light drinking is no different from heavy drinking. Researchers from the University of Tokyo, Harvard University and the Kanto Rosai Hospital in Japan found that drinking even small amounts of alcohol every day can drive up your risk of cancer. They arrived at this conclusion after comparing the health records of thousands of Japanese hospital patients with those of healthy people.
Their findings show that your risk of cancer increases with the amount of alcohol you consume. For example, drinking two glasses every day for five years can raise your cancer risk to the same level as drinking one glass a day for a decade does. Meanwhile, never having a single swig in your entire life is associated with the lowest risk.
“Even light to moderate alcohol consumption appears to be associated with elevated cancer risk,” the researchers wrote in their report.
How does alcohol cause cancer
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), all types of alcoholic drinks are linked to cancer, including those that we deem healthy, such as white and red wine. Like with the study above, the CDC says that the more you drink, the more likely you are to develop cancer.
The following types of cancer are especially prevalent among heavy drinkers:
– Mouth and throat cancer
– Esophageal cancer
-Colorectal cancer
-Liver cancer
– Breast cancer
So how does alcohol cause cancer? When you drink, your body breaks down alcohol and produces a toxic chemical called acetaldehyde in the process.
Acetaldehyde can damage your DNA and mess with your hormone levels, which can cause your cells to divide incorrectly.
Alcohol can also cause cancer in women by increasing estrogen levels.
Estrogen is known as one of the female sex hormones, though men have it, too. Researchers consider high estrogen levels a key factor in the development of breast cancer and other hormone sensitive cancers.
Drinking alcohol can also damage the cells in your mouth and throat. This makes it easier for carcinogens like tobacco to be absorbed into your body.
Do you need to stop drinking altogether?
Avoiding alcohol completely helps stave off cancer.
But if you like to drink, do so in moderation. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 recommends drinking no more than a glass a day for women and no more than two a day for men.
The CDC also deems it safe if you abstain from drinking while taking any medication.
Drinking small amounts every now and then isn’t as bad as drinking heavily, but it’s still better if you go turkey and adopt a booze-free diet. Doing so would dramatically improve your health and slash your cancer risk.
