Additional Information
Drinking Alcohol and Cancer Risk
by David J. Hanson, Ph. D.
Drinking alcohol, especially along with smoking, increases the risk of cancers of the mouth, esophagus, pharynx, larynx and liver in men, and of breast cancer in women, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Fortunately, except for breast cancer, these cancers are all rare. Moderate consumption doesn’t increase the risk of the most common cancers, except for breast cancer, as listed by the National Cancer Institute alphabetically:
- Bladder Cancer
- Breast Cancer
- Colon and Rectal Cancer
- Endometrial Cancer
- Kidney Cancer (Renal Cell)
- Leukemia
- Lung Cancer
- Melanoma
- Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
- Ovarian Cancer
- Prostate Cancer
- Skin Cancer (Non-Melanoma) 1
Of these 12 most common caners, the risk of two (kidney cancer and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma) are reduced by consuming alcohol.
- Kidney Cancer
- Moderate drinking reduces the risk of kidney cancer 30% compared to teetotalers (abstainers or non-drinkers), according to an analysis of 12 prospective studies involving 760,044 men and women who were tracked for seven to 20 years. 2
- A large prospective study of 59,237 Swedish women found that light and moderate drinkers had a 38% lower risk of kidney cancer than did abstainers. For women over age 66, the risk dropped by two-thirds (66%). 3
- Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
- A review of research from nine international studies found that drinking alcohol (beer, wine, or spirits) reduces the risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma by an average of over one-fourth (27%). For the developing the form of non-Hodgkin’s known as Burkitt's lymphoma, the risk for drinkers drops about half compared to teetotalers. 4
- The consumption of alcohol also reduces the risk of:
Moderate consumption of alcohol is not associated with any of the following cancers, which are listed below alphabetically.Adenoid cancer
- Adenoid cancer 9
- Adrenal gland cancer 10
- Anal cancer 11
- Appendix cancer 12
- Bile duct cancer 13
- Bladder cancer 14
- Bone cancer 15
- Brain cancer 16
- Central nervous system cancer 17
- Cervical cancer 18
- Extragonal germ cell cancer 19
- Extrahepatic bile duct 20
- Ewing’s family of 21
- Eye cancer 22
- Fallopian tube cancer 23
- Gallbladder cancer 24
- Kaposi’s sarcoma 25
- Kidney cancer 26
- Leukemia 27
- Liver cancer (women) 28
- Lung cancer 29
- Male breast cancer 30
- Malignant melanoma 31
- Malignant mesothelioma 32
- Nasal cavity cancer 33
- Non-Hodgkin lymphoma 34
- Ovarian cancer 35
- Pancreatic cancer 36
- Paranasal sinus cancer 37
- Penile cancer 38
- Pituitary gland cancer 39
- Pleuropulmonary blastoma 40
- Prostate cancer 41
- Rectal cancer 42
- Salivary gland cancer 43
- Skin cancer 44
- Small intestine cancer 45
- Soft tissue cancer 46
- Spinal cancer 47
- Stomach cancer 48
- Testicular cancer 49
- Thymus cancer 50
- Transitional cell cancer of renal pelvis 51
- Ureter cancer 52
- Urethral cancer 53
- Vaginal cancer 54
- Vulvar cancer 55
The relationship between alcohol and breast cancer is unclear and controversial. An overview of issues is found at Alcohol and Breast Cancer. However, one thing does appear clear and that is that adequate folate intake can reduce or eliminate any increased risks associated with alcohol consumption. Mayo Clinic researchers studied 41,836 women age 55 to 69. They concluded that their “ study adds to the growing body of evidence that if you have adequate folate, you are not increasing your risk of breast cancer by drinking in moderation." 56
More information about folate consumption and drinking is found at the following links:
Folate, Alcohol, and Breast Cancer - Women who drink alcohol and have a high folate intake are not at increased risk of breast cancer compared to those who abstain from alcohol, according to an exhaustive review of the research evidence.
Breast Cancer and Folic Acid - Folic acid appears to offset the risk of breast cancer from alcohol among women who drink in moderation.
The extent to which alcohol may contribute to breast cancer is addressed here:
Alcohol and Breast Cancer - Data from the ongoing Framingham study indicate that alcohol consumption does not increase the risk of breast cancer.
Moderate Drinking and Breast Cancer - Moderate drinking of alcoholic beverages appears to have little effect on women’s risk for breast cancer according to research at the Centre for Alcohol Research at the National Institute for Public Health in Denmark.
Alcohol and Breast Cancer in the Elderly - By the age of 80, breast cancer will affect 8.8 of every 100 women. One drink a day raises the risk about one percentage point.
Alcohol and Cancer - Dr. William Waddell discusses evidence regarding alcohol’s possible role in breast cancer.
It’s important to balance relative risks. About half of Americans die of heart attacks. Moderate drinking reduces the risk of heart attacks by about 40%. Any increase in risk of an uncommon cancer needs to viewed in relation to the benefits of moderate drinking on reducing a major threat to health and long life.
Balancing such risks is a personal decision that should be discussed with one’s own physician.
Nothing on this page constitutes medical opinion or advice. For medical diagnosis, opinion, advice or treatment consult a qualified physician.
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