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Alcohol and cancer |
Alcohol and the heart |
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Alcohol and cancer |
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Women and Alcohol |
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Alcohol and diabetes |
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Drinking as you get older? |
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Alcohol and it's effects |
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Alcohol and allergies |
 What the Doctor says |
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It is generally accepted that the prolonged excessive consumption of alcohol (and its first breakdown product, acetaldehyde), especially when combined with cigarette smoking, directly increases the incidence of aero-digestive tract cancers (mouth, throat, larynx and oesophagus). Chronic liver damage of any cause, including excessive alcohol consumption, also directly increases the risk of liver cancer, while excessive alcohol consumption may also indirectly promote pancreatic cancer.
It has been found by some studies, however, that the phenolic compounds in wine, beers and ciders that help protect against heart disease may also reduce the risk of certain cancers. For specific studies, please visit www.aim-digest.com/gateway
What the experts say…
In 1998, Sir Richard Doll, Emeritus Professor of Medicine at the University of Oxford, concluded that:“Of all lifestyle factors related to cancer, alcohol is a modest attributable risk at 4-6%, while the attributable risk for cigarette smoking is approximately 30% and that for diet is 20-50%.”
Also in 1998, the American Cancer Society reported that there was a reduction in cancer mortality rates of 20% amongst those who drank 2-4 alcoholic drinks/day, compared with non-drinkers. These observations were consistent with those of Dr Serge Renaud (1998), who observed similar findings, but also that consumption above 2-3 alcoholic drinks/day, significantly increases the risk of cancer per se.
In 2000, Professor Morten Grønbæk with a study of data from 257,859 person-years of follow-up (the Copenhagen Centre for Population Studies) observed that with the consumption of 1-3 glasses per day, wine drinkers reduced their risk of cancer by 20% compared with non-drinkers. The study concluded that the reduced risk may also be partially attributable to the diet, exercise and lifestyle of wine drinkers compared with those of non-drinkers.
Please visit the gateway to sensible drinking and health via www.aim-digest.com for specific studies and summary papers.
Breast cancer is a major cause of mortality amongst women, and individual risk varies according to hereditary genes.
A recent UK study by Sir Richard Doll observed that women consuming the equivalent of 1-2 drinks (5-14 g total) per day had an overall increase in risk of 3% of developing breast cancer. This rises to a 32% increase in breast cancer risk for women drinking 35-44 g alcohol/day and a 46% increase for women drinking more. This is much more alcohol than the US or UK sensible drinking guidelines.
Studies also show that adequate intake of folate (found in green leaf vegetables, brown bread and cereals as well as in supplement form), may protect women against any increase in breast cancer risk from moderate alcohol consumption. (Zhang S, Hunter DJ, Hankinson SE, Giovannucci EL, Rosner BA, Colditz GA, Speizer FE, Willett WC. A prospective study of folate intake and the risk of breast cancer. JAMA 1999;281:1632-1637).
Balancing the risks and benefits of moderate alcohol drinking, women should remember that the protective effects of alcohol on coronary heart disease and stroke are significant, and that in women, cardiovascular disease is associated with at least ten-times the number of deaths compared with breast cancer.
When set in context by the American Heart Association, heart disease is a far greater killer: 'One in two women will eventually die of heart disease or stroke: one in twenty five will eventually die of breast cancer'. Accordingly, women who are light-to-moderate drinkers tend to live longer than non-drinkers, but there is a significant increase in risk above 30g intake of alcohol/day.
What the experts say…
These results are put in perspective by the editorial accompanying Sir Richard Doll's study, entitled 'Alcohol, tobacco and breast cancer: should alcohol be condemned and tobacco acquitted?' (Br J Cancer 2002;87...). Dr. Silva concluded that "Alcohol intake is likely to account, at present, for a small proportion of breast cancer cases in developed countries, but for women who drink moderately, its lifetime cardio-protective effects probably outweigh its health hazards." Dr Silva also suggested that moderate drinkers live longer than non-drinkers.
Cancer Research UK estimates that alcohol accounts for approximately 4% of breast cancers in the developed world and that one in eight women will develop breast cancer during her lifetime. Over the past 10 years, the incidence of breast cancer has remained unchanged, although mortality rates have steadily decreased, due to earlier detection and more effective therapy.
For in-depth information, please visit the AIM-Gateway site at www.aim-digest.com/gateway/
