Large study offers new insights on how alcohol consumption impacts cancer risk
A new, large study out of Korea found that an increase in alcohol consumption is linked with higher risk for all cancers, including alcohol-related cancers.
The findings come as some experts worry about a rise in cancer due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which routine screenings and elective procedures were temporarily halted when the virus first hit the United States. As a result, many U.S. adults likely put off annual exams that could detect signs of cancer or diseases in earlier stages. Several specialties have reported deficiencies in screenings due to the lingering effects of the pandemic shutdown.
The Korea study included 4,513, 746 participants with a mean age of 53.6 years. Researchers found that alcohol dosage matters a lot when it comes to cancer risks. The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.
Increasing alcohol consumption had a higher risk for alcohol-related cancers, such as mouth, pharynx and larynx, esophagus, liver, colorectum and breast cancers, compared to those who sustained their drinking level. However, the link was not consistent across all alcohol-related cancers, except for liver cancer.
“In this large cohort study that used repeated measurements of alcohol consumption, we found that individuals who increased their alcohol consumption, regardless of their baseline drinking level, had an increased incidence of alcohol-related and all cancers compared with those who sustained their current level of drinking,” wrote first author Jung Eun Yoo, MD, PhD, of the Department of Family Medicine, Healthcare System Gangnam Center, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea, et al.
Participants who were heavy drinkers who did reduce to a mild or moderate level had a decreased risk of cancer compared with those with sustained heavy drinking levels.
Fortunately, abstaining from alcohol consumption over time was linked to an inverse association. Yet, those who quit drinking still had an elevated risk for all cancers compared to those who sustained their level of drinking. According to researchers, this could be due to “the sick quitter phenomenon,” which is when individuals quit drinking after feeling adverse health effects. In fact, even a one-year lag after quitting was not enough to decrease cancer risks. Cancer risks did start to decrease after two years, as researchers found participants who quit drinking in a 2011 screening showed similar or even decreased risk compared with those who sustained the same level of drinking in a 2013 screening.
“Quitting was not associated with a lower incidence of alcohol-related cancer, but if abstinence was maintained over time, the incidence of alcohol-related and all cancers tended to decrease,” Yoo et al said. “Reducing drinking from heavy to moderate or mild levels was associated with a decreased risk of alcohol-related and all cancers.”
Additionally, among mild drinkers, cancer risks decreased slightly when they quit drinking. According to the researchers, the study solidifies previous research that shows “there is no safe level of alcohol consumption in terms of cancer risk. …Alcohol cessation and reduction should be reinforced for the prevention of cancer,” they wrote.
Researchers pointed out that the association was changed for women, in part due to the sample size. Not enough women changed their drinking patterns throughout the study, and 73.1% had a nondrinking level “to show statistical significance.”
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."