- Accumulating evidence shows that people who cut out alcohol can reduce their risk of developing some forms of cancer.
- Decreasing alcohol intake decreases the production of acetaldehyde in the body, which in turn, reduces the risk of certain cancers.
- Researchers and experts agree that continuing abstaining from alcohol is the only way to see long-term, positive health effects.
Growing evidence demonstrates the harmful effects of alcohol, including a heightened risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and liver disease.
According to a new perspective article from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), people who stop drinking alcohol can lower their risk of developing certain cancers.
The reduced cancer risk included:
The article appears in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Researchers examined data from over 90 studies about cancers caused by alcohol and stopping alcohol consumption.
They discovered that cessation does decrease the risk of some types of cancers, especially those that affect the mouth and esophagus.
“Based on the evidence reviewed from relevant studies published to date, the Working Group concluded that there is sufficient evidence that, compared with continuing consumption, reduction or cessation of alcoholic beverage consumption reduces the risk of oral cancer and esophageal cancer,” said Dr. Beatrice Lauby-Secretan, head of IARC, Handbooks of Cancer Prevention and Deputy Head, Evidence Synthesis and Classification Branch, who was involved in the study.
Dr. Lauby-Secretan continued:
“The evidence that reduction or cessation of alcohol consumption reduces risk of the other alcohol-related cancer types was either limited or inadequate. These conclusions were based on pooled analyses and meta-analyses, as well as individual studies, which consistently showed that long-term cessation was associated with a lower risk of oral and oesophageal cancer compared with continuing consumption, even after adjusting for tobacco smoking and…
Read the full article here