Alcohol and Cancer

Featured in the BlueZoneIsland blog circa December 2019

Alcoholic beverages are ubiquitous staples of contemporary cultures; however, they are causal agents in numerous diseases, such as cancer. The various disease mechanisms of alcohol[1] include: a) endocrine-disruption, for insulin-like growth factor[2] and estrogen[3,4], even in post-menopausal women[5]; b) toxins, such as acetaldehyde[6]; and nutritional depletion, particularly for folate[7]. These factors culminate in correlations between alcohol and cancers of the breast, pancreas, liver, colon, and oral/esophageal region, which are quantified in Table 1 and elaborated in the subsequent sections.

Table 1: The increased risk of cancer for consuming the specified quantity of alcohol relative to non-drinkers.
One serving of alcohol corresponds with ~12g of pure ethanol is the Daily Alcohol Consumption (DAC).

DAC (12g) Breast cancer Pancreatic cancer Liver cancer Colorectal cancer Oral/esophageal cancer
1 serving 9-20% [8-12] Colon: 7% [13]
Rectal: 46%[13]
2 - 3 servings 27-83% [14-17] 22% [18] Men: 17[19]-28%[14]
Women: 17-97%[19]
Liquor: 190%[20] 		Colon: 8-59% [14,21]
Rectal: 250% [13] 		38[19]-75%[14]
9 - 10 servings 170% [14] >600%[22] Rectal: 420%[13] 249-501%[14]

Breast cancer:

Decades of epidemiological research reveal that alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer. Beer exhibits the greatest correlation with breast cancer at low to moderate alcohol consumption[23] while liquor exhibits the greatest correlation with breast cancer at high alcohol consumption[24]. Post-menopausal[25] and folate-deficient[7] women are especially susceptible to alcohol-induced breast cancer.

Pancreatic cancer:

Alcohol consumption, especially beer[26], is correlated[18,27,28] with the risk of pancreatic cancer, possibly by first inducing chronic pancreatitis[29,30].

Liver cancer:

Alcohol is implicated to cause liver cancer through a) epigenetic changes (manipulating genes)[31]; b) lowering the concentration of endogenous cancer-protecting antioxidants SAMe (S-Adenosyl-L-methionine) and glutathione by 76% and 40% respectively [32]; and c) contributing to the development of cirrhosis and fatty liver[33].

Colo-rectal cancer:

Colorectal cancer - particularly rectal cancer[27] - is associated with alcohol consumption[1,34], especially beer[21,35-37]. Alcohol-associated colorectal cancer is augmented by nutritional deficiencies in folate, methionine[38], and zinc[6,39] and by the dietary consumption of meat[39].

Oroesophageal cancers:

Oral and esophageal cancers are profoundly associated with alcohol consumption[2]. The daily use of alcohol-based mouthwashes even increases the risk of oral cancer[14].

Conclusion

Research suggests that alcohol, a notorious recreational drug, has deleterious health consequences. Herein, cancerous consequences are highlighted - specifically of the breast, liver, pancreatic, colorectal, and oral/esophageal area. Research reveals that 3-7 alcoholic servings per week, and even at doses as low as alcohol-based mouthwash, increase the risk of cancer. Beer appears to be more carcinogenic than other alcoholic beverages of comparable alcohol content, perhaps as a consequence of impurities or additives. Individuals who strive toward optimum health are best suited to avoid habitual alcohol consumption.

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