Canadian researchers found that regular heavy consumption of beer and spirits –that is, 180 drink-years (10 drinks/day x 18 years, or 5 drinks/day x 36 years) or more– increased risk of 6 cancers as follows:
- esophageal and liver cancer: 7 times (700% !!!)
- colon, stomach and prostate cancer by80 %
- lung-cancer by 60%
They found that drinking did not increase risk for seven other types of cancers: rectum, kidney or bladder, melanoma, Hodgkin ’s and on-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and –surprisingly– pancreas.
So, it may be safe to drink one glass of red wine a day, but risky to drink more.
Ref – Sydney Morning Herald, 6/8/09, p5; Herald Sun, 6/8/09, p9; Adelaide Advertiser, 6/8/09, p19; Australian Financial Review, 6/8/09, p58 – Published by Daily Cancer News, www.uicc-community.org, August 7, 2009.
Does drinking alcohol increase your cancer risk?
A new Canadian study found that moderate (more than one drink per day) and heavy drinkers of beer and spirits are more likely to develop certain types of cancer than abstainers or occasional drinkers. While moderate wine drinkers seem to have a slightly lower cancer risk, it is beer and spirits drinkers who are the most at risk. And, as expected, the higher the dose, the higher the risk.

Canadian researchers found that regular heavy consumption of beer and spirits –that is, 180 drink-years (10 drinks/day x 18 years, or 5 drinks/day x 36 years) or more– increased risk of 6 cancers as follows:
- esophageal and liver cancer: 7 times (700% !!!)
- colon, stomach and prostate cancer by80 %
- lung-cancer by 60%
They found that drinking did not increase risk for seven other types of cancers: rectum, kidney or bladder, melanoma, Hodgkin ’s and on-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and –surprisingly– pancreas.
So, it may be safe to drink one glass of red wine a day, but risky to drink more.
Ref – Sydney Morning Herald, 6/8/09, p5; Herald Sun, 6/8/09, p9; Adelaide Advertiser, 6/8/09, p19; Australian Financial Review, 6/8/09, p58 – Published by Daily Cancer News, www.uicc-community.org, August 7, 2009.