Drinking Alcohol Can Boost Cancer Risk (Study)

(Mirror Daily, United States) – A new study has found that being too much into alcohol can boost the risk of developing cancer.

Researchers also found that those who drink the most are the most likely to die prematurely when compared with other drinkers. In addition, the research revealed that drinkers who consume alcohol in moderation have the lowest combined risk of cancer and premature death. Moderate drinking means drinking one to three beverages per week.

However, cancer risk increases with each extra drink per week, the research shows.

Light drinkers were the least likely to die early when compared with non-drinkers and other types of drinkers. Researchers insisted that they have found only a link between cancer and drinking, not a causal relation.

Andrew Kunzmann noted that the team had expected to find a similar risk in light drinkers and non-drinkers. But the findings were a big surprise. It is unclear why light drinkers have a slightly lower risk of early death than non-drinkers.

Never Drinkers May Have Underlying Health Issues

Some people might speculate that certain alcoholic drinks, especially red wine, have a protective role for the heart, which can dramatically reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Other explanations may include light drinkers’ social-economic status, as they tend to have more money and be more educated than some non-drinkers.

What’s more, never drinkers might steer clear of alcohol because they have other health issues they are trying to keep in check. Those issues could boost their risk of premature death, researchers speculated.

The latest study involved nearly 100,000 Americans within the 55-74 age bracket. Participants were tracked for 8.9 years on average. Researchers had access to their cancer diagnoses from medical records.

The study appeared this week in the journal PLOS Medicine.
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John Birks

John holds a diploma in journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. He covers the technology, social media, green business, eco-travel, politics, arts culture.