3 days Ago By Mikkael A. Sekeres, MD
As more people choose to drink less, here’s what to know about the research on alcohol and cancer risk. My patients – and my family and friends – often ask me what they can do to reduce their risk of cancer . I’m an oncologist and a cancer epidemiologist, which means I investigate patterns and causes of cancers.
As more people drink less, one question that has come up is whether casual drinking, or drinking alcohol infrequently, increases cancer risk. The answer is “probably,” though at a very low level. Cancer risk is not binary: having one drink, or smoking one cigarette, will not cause cancer.
In general, the more you’re exposed to a risk factor, the higher your likelihood of developing cancer. The data have clearly shown that your risk for cancer increases the more you drink, and the best way to eliminate your risk of alcohol-related cancers is to stop drinking. Personally, I keep my alcohol intake to no more than one or two drinks a week.
In January, when the US Surgeon-General released an advisory about alcohol and cancer risk, some people I know eliminated or reduced their own alcohol intake, while others scrutinised the data on which the advisory was based..
