Alcohol is a group 1 carcinogen and the more alcohol a person drinks, the greater their risk of developing seven different types of cancer[1]:
- Mouth
- Upper throat
- Larynx
- Oesophagus
- Breast
- Liver
- Bowel
Alcohol causes cancer by damaging our cells, increasing the levels of certain hormones, making cells divide more often, and by changing the cells in our mouths and throat, making it easier to absorb harmful chemicals[2]. Alcohol causes cancer irrespective of the type of alcoholic drink consumed as the causal factor is the ethanol itself. [3]
Source: Statistics by cancer type | Cancer Research UK
Alcohol and breast cancer
- Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, and it is estimated that one in ten cases are caused by drinking alcohol[4].
- Even light drinking increases a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer, although it is believed that binge drinking is particularly harmful.[5]
- Alcohol is metabolised into acetaldehyde, a cancer-causing compound. This occurs primarily in the liver but also in breast tissue.[6]
- Alcohol increases levels of circulating hormones including oestrogen, which increases breast cancer risk[7]
References
[1] Alcoholic drinks and the risk of cancer
[2] How does alcohol cause cancer? | Cancer Research UK
[3] Alcoholic drinks and the risk of cancer
[4] How does alcohol cause cancer? | Cancer Research UK
[5] Binge Drinking and Risk of Breast Cancer: Results from the SUN (‘Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra’) Project – PubMed