Cancer risk increases with every sip of alcohol

Cancer risk increases with alcohol

11/29/2011

With every glass of alcohol, the risk of cancer increases. The German Society for Nutrition (DGE) points out in a recent press release that starting with a daily dose of ten grams of alcohol in women and 20 grams of alcohol in men, the probability of cancer increases significantly.

According to the German Nutrition Society, 90 percent of men and 50 percent of alcohol-related cancers and deaths would be preventable if the dose of a maximum of ten (women) or twenty grams (men) were met daily. According to the DGE, ten grams of alcohol are in a glass of beer, wine or schnapps, for example. The DGE bases its findings on a recent review that summarizes the results of several meta-analyzes on the potential for alcohol-related cancers. According to nutritionist Angela Bechthold, it is estimated that alcohol accounts for 10% of cancers in men and 3% in women, according to the DGE press release.

Cancer risk rises parallel to alcohol consumption
The DGE experts report on a recent review study (C. Pelucchi, I. Tramacere, P. Boffeta et al .: Alcohol Consumption and Cancer Risk, Nutrition and Cancer) „a dose-response relationship for all investigated cancer sites“ exists and the risk of cancer increases parallel to the amount of alcohol consumed. For example, according to the German Nutrition Society, this increases „Breast cancer risk per ten grams of alcohol per day by seven percent.“ According to the DGE, the reference values ​​are the „still tolerable intake“ at „20 grams of alcohol per day for healthy men and 10 grams per day for healthy women.“ However, this information is „not to be understood as a recommendation to drink alcohol daily.“ Basically, for women during pregnancy or lactation, abstaining from alcohol is considered essential to the unborn children „to avoid unnecessary health risks“, said the DGE expert Angela Bechthold. In addition, according to the nutritionist „Children, adolescents, people at risk of addiction, persons with liver damage as well as persons who are taking medicines, should not drink any alcohol.“

Massive health risks due to regular alcohol consumption
Although there are also indications of a positive effect of moderate alcohol consumption, for example, in cardiovascular diseases, but overall outweigh the negative health consequences significantly, said the DGE expert Bechthold. According to the current review, regular alcohol consumption, for example, is associated with impaired muscle performance and damage to the nerves and organs (liver, pancreas). In addition, alcohol promotes the development of obesity, mental disorders and cancer, according to the statement of the DGE. It is already associated with a large amount of only ten grams of alcohol a day a significantly increased risk of oral, pharyngeal and esophageal cancer. The more alcohol is consumed, the higher the risk of cancer. Overall, the risk of cancer increases by 400 percent per day with four or more drinks (one drink contains 10 grams of alcohol), with the laryngeal cancer risk rising by approximately 150 percent, pancreatic cancer risk by 20 percent, and the risk of colon and breast cancer by 50 percent, respectively. In addition, according to DGE, the risk of oral, pharyngeal and esophageal cancer is 20 to 30 percent higher with just one drink a day. In addition, alcohol consumption also increases liver cancer risk, according to the results of the current review study. According to the DGE, alcohol should be avoided altogether because it is not without reason that the World Health Organization (WHO) classifies alcohol as one of the world's top ten health risks.

Harmful development of alcohol consumption in adolescents
As the German Nutrition Society further explains in its current press release, the average intake of alcohol in Germany is indeed „both in men and women in the tolerable range“, but about one in four men and every sixth woman takes more than the tolerable amount of alcohol daily. In addition, the DGE refers to communications from the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA), according to which „In many adolescents up to the age of 16 and 17, a consumer behavior develops, which is considered to be hazardous to health even in adults.“ For example, in the 18- to 25-year-olds approximately every fifth male and one in ten female adolescents consume high-risk alcohol. According to the DGE, the interaction between alcohol and tobacco is also particularly critical, since the two risk factors reinforce each other's cancer-promoting effects. (Fp)