Does Alcohol Use Affect Cancer Risk?

Overview

Journal Curr Nutr Rep

Specialty Nutritional Sciences

Date 2019 Mar 22

PMID 30895470

Citations 11

Authors

Jurgen Rehm

Isabelle Soerjomataram

Carina Ferreira-Borges

Kevin D Shield

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose Of Review: To provide an overview of the risk relationships between alcohol use and cancer and of the alcohol-attributable cancer burden; to highlight areas of controversy in the alcohol-cancer relationship; to examine the reasons why these risk relationships have not received greater public attention.

Recent Findings: In 2016, alcohol caused an estimated 376,200 cancer deaths, 10.0 million cancer years of life lost (YLLs), 236,600 cancer years lived with disability (YLDs), and 10.3 million cancer disability-adjusted years of life (DALYs), representing 4.2%, 4.2%, 4.6%, and 4.2% of all deaths, YLLs, YLDs, and DALYs lost due to cancer, respectively, proportionally highest in high- and upper-middle-income countries. Alcohol use is a major contributor to cancer and is linked to the most prevalent types of cancer. No threshold for the effects of alcohol on cancer has yet been identified, and thus, abstinence is best for cancer prevention. Greater public awareness of the relationship between alcohol use and cancer is advisable.

Citing Articles

Factors influencing the acceptability of alcohol drinking for a patient with colorectal cancer.

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Inan-Eroglu E, Huang B, Sarich P, Nassar N, Stamatakis E Br J Nutr. 2022; 130(3):503-512.

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