Alcohol and Cancer Risk
It’s always a great time to focus on alcohol education and consider the serious consequences of alcohol abuse.
Although many people may be aware of the dangers of drinking during pregnancy, binge drinking, drink-driving, or alcoholic liver damage, not everyone may know that consuming alcohol is actually a leading preventable cause of cancer. The risk of developing cancer increases with higher levels of alcohol consumption.
Read more about the connexion between alcohol and cancer, and discover some of our educational resources that are perfect to discuss the connexion between certain forms of cancer and alcohol as well as recommended alcohol limits.
What Forms of Cancer Are Associated With Alcohol Use?
Worldwide, it is estimated that more than 740,000 cases of cancer were attributed to the consumption of alcohol in 2020. In the UK, it is estimated that alcohol causes approximately 11,500–12,500 new cases of cancer each year. About 10,048 deaths in the UK were the result of alcohol-specific causes in 2022.
For women, level of alcohol consumption is considered a breast cancer risk factor within a woman’s control (versus risk factors beyond a woman’s control, such as her age, personal or family medical history of breast cancer, history of radiation treatment, or genetic predisposition for breast cancer).
How Does Alcohol Increase Cancer Risk?
Alcohol is thought to cause cancer in several ways, including:
- The alcohol in all alcoholic drinks contains ethanol. The body breaks ethanol down into a substance called acetaldehyde that is a known cancer-causing agent. Acetaldehyde damages our DNA and hinders the ability of cells to repair this damage, promoting the development of cancerous cells.
- Alcohol can cause oxidative stress, which means that there is an excess of oxygen molecules (free radicals) compared with antioxidants. Oxidative stress can damage healthy cells’ DNA and cause inflammation.
- Hormones, such as oestrogen, can be affected by alcohol consumption. Oestrogen plays a key role in the growth and development of breast tissue, and altering oestrogen levels may affect cell growth.
- Alcohol consumption hinders the body’s ability to absorb nutrients that help protect cells and reduce inflammation, such as vitamins A, B6, C, D, and K. These vitamins assist in the process of synthesising and repairing DNA.
- Alcohol use promotes the absorption of other cancer-causing agents. For example, when people use alcohol and tobacco, their alcohol use may make their cells more sensitive to tobacco damage.
- Consuming excessive calories in alcohol can lead to weight gain. Excess body weight is linked to many forms of cancer. Containing 7 calories per gram, alcohol has almost as many calories as fat, which has 9 calories per gram. In comparison, carbohydrates and protein contain only 4 calories per gram.
Our
Weigh Your Options™: Alcohol Drinks Display is an attention-grabbing, tactile way to help your audience see and feel how the extra calories in alcohol can really add up. The display contains four colourful, weighted bags ranging in weight from 1 to 5 pounds, revealing how much weight you could gain if you drink a glass of wine, two regular beers, a mixed drink, or a cocktail every day for a month in excess of your daily calorie needs.
To Drink or Not to Drink?
Because alcohol consumption is a leading preventable cause of cancer, the best choice to reduce your cancer risk is not to drink alcohol. However, for those who choose to drink, they can help decrease their risk of health consequences by limiting alcohol intake.
So, how much alcohol is too much? According to the UK Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines: To minimise health risks, you should not drink more than 14 units of alcohol per week. If you consume up to 14 units of alcohol per week, it is best to spread your drinking over three or more days.
What is a unit of alcohol? One unit of alcohol is 10 mL (8 g) or pure alcohol, such as:
- 250 mL of standard beer (4% alcohol)
- 250 mL of standard alcopop (4% alcohol)
- 218 mL of standard cider (4.5% alcohol)
- 76 mL of standard wine (13% alcohol)
- 25 mL standard whisky (40% alcohol) distilled spirits or liquor
The Chief Medical Officers for the UK recommend that women who are pregnant or who are planning to become pregnant not drink alcohol. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can result in miscarriage, premature birth, and low birth weight, as well foetal alcohol spectrum disorders, including foetal alcohol syndrome. It is also recommended that children under 15 not drink alcohol. If 15–17-year-olds drink, it should be rarely—never more than once a week—and only under the supervision of a parent or carer.
When viewers raise one of the glasses in our
What Is a Unit? Display, they’ll see how much of the beverage is a single unit of alcohol as well as how many total units of alcohol are in the glass. For many viewers, it’s a major reality check to learn that the amount of liquid in their alcohol glass often contains multiple alcohol units!
The information contained in this newsletter is not intended to replace the advice of a healthcare professional.
©2025 Health Edco®
