Alcohol Consumption and Cancer

Koolau

Koolau

Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
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For those who don’t care to open the link, the list of cancers the op mentions is here.

This Advisory describes the scientific evidence for the causal link between alcohol consumption and increased risk for at least seven different types of cancer, including breast (in women), colorectum, esophagus, voice box, liver, mouth, and throat. The Advisory also helps to better inform the public of this relationship and offers key recommendations to reduce alcohol-related cancers.
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Does this mean that beer cans in the future might have a warning label like on cigarette packages?
 
easysurfer said:
Does this mean that beer cans in the future might have a warning label like on cigarette packages?
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That is part of the Surgeon General advisory, it's recommended.
 
According to NIOSH/OSHA, ethyl alcohol has been a suspected carcinogen for as long as I can remember. It would not surprise me to see warning labels on alcoholic drinks at some point. Likely, the real "culprit" in alcohol carcinogenicity is the acetaldehyde produced when alcohol is metabolized in the body.
 
I am an alcoholic. I haven't had a drink for 1,314 days, and don't intend to ever have a drink again. One of the (many) reasons I stopped was that I could feel it destroying my throat...in my cessation journal at the time, I was literally writing about how it felt like I was going to get throat cancer from drinking. So this tracks for me.

I've always thought alcohol was given preferential treatment compared to other substances, especially given its obvious history of destroying lives. I suspect its rosy treatment is due to a combination of a huge corporate interest that can afford to buy and sell politicians, plus its widespread cultural foothold--people don't want to be told that something they've always enjoyed may be doing serious harm to them.

This doesn't matter to me much at this point, because it's a problem I've already dealt with on a personal level. But a basic application of common sense suggests booze should at least be held to a similar standard as cannabis and tobacco.
 
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Koolau said:
According to NIOSH/OSHA, ethyl alcohol has been a suspected carcinogen for as long as I can remember. It would not surprise me to see warning labels on alcoholic drinks at some point. Likely, the real "culprit" in alcohol carcinogenicity is the acetaldehyde produced when alcohol is metabolized in the body.
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Agree, I remember this being discussed in school 40 years ago, especially oral and esophageal cancers.
 
Errollyn said:
I am an alcoholic. I haven't had a drink for 1,314 days, and don't intend to ever have a drink again. One of the (many) reasons I stopped was that I could feel it destroying my throat...in my cessation journal at the time, I was literally writing about how it felt like I was going to get throat caner from drinking. So this tracks for me.

I've always thought alcohol was given preferential treatment compared to other substances, especially given its obvious history of destroying lives. I suspect its rosy treatment is due to a combination of a huge corporate interest that can afford to buy and sell politicians, plus its widespread cultural foothold--people don't want to be told that something they've always enjoyed may be doing serious harm to them.

This doesn't matter to me much at this point, because it's a problem I've already dealt with on a personal level. But a basic application of common sense suggests booze should at least be held to a similar standard as cannabis and tobacco.
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Congrats on your sobriety.
 
I like good wine with dinner and/or a couple of fingers of bourbon in the evening. I have long known alcohol is not good for me, but only recently has it caused a problem I can see and address. If I have that glass of wine or bourbon these days, it significantly exacerbates a restless leg syndrome (RLS) problem that can keep me from sleeping. The need for sleep is pretty compelling. So now I am alcohol free and sleeping better for it. Maybe I will dodge a cancer bullet as a bonus.
 
If research and science has learned it can harm your health, then I would agree the product should have a warning label. The rules should apply to all products with risks to health or have none.
 
street said:
The rules should apply to all products with risks to health or have none.
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This is my position as well. If the govt doesn't want to inform people of the risks of using alcohol, then they also shouldn't be concerned with the risks of using marijuana (which are objectively lower). It's the hypocrisy that I don't like.
 
“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!”

― Hunter S. Thompson
 
Looking at the chart in the article, if you have 1 drink/day then you bump your life time cancer risk by 1.5% - 2.5%.

Personally, I think averaging 7 drinks/week for your entire life is actually quite a lot of drinking. I like a glass of wine and (in later years) have developed an affinity for good whiskey but a 7 drink week is a lot of drinking.

And even 7 drinks/week only bumps lifetime risk by 1-2.5%?

Most people would do a lot better addressing long term health risks to keep enjoying a few drinks but go for a long walk everyday and lift a few weights a couple times each week.

Alcohol has really bad effects when it gets out of hand. A college friend just died at age 53 more due to drinking than anything else. We've had family members develop really serious problems they've never controlled and others that have become alcoholics but got it under control.

Kudos to @Errollyn above. Congrats.

That said, I hope the government doesn't go on a crusade with this. Beer, Wine and Whiskey are cultural touchstones for many people and families. My daughters were home for the holidays and we had a really nice bottle of wine one night and egg nog lattes with some smokey whiskey a couple of others. When traveling abroad and now at home, my wife and I have a collection of 25 whiskeys that remind us of places and experiences. I do think this is different than weed. Weed has one purpose. Alchohol can be quite enjoyable while not getting drunk (or even buzzed).
 
Closet_Gamer said:
Personally, I think averaging 7 drinks/week for your entire life is actually quite a lot of drinking.
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A lot (most?) people can't imagine why anyone would drink so much. But then there's those of us who considered 7 drinks per week as taking a week off. I used to have a bunch of different liquor stores and convenience stores I'd buy from, because it was embarrassing to go to the same store multiple times per week. 😬
 
Well it isn't going to stop me from my "Social Drinking" which is where I'm at these days. Maybe 3 to 4 drinks a month. Somewhat related, I haven't smoked cigarettes in 40+ years, but I am seriously considering re-starting. Will try to keep it to maybe a pack a week. Bad habits, yes, but enjoyable enough to accept the tradeoffs/risks (at my age). Hey I'm often (usually) an outlier here, so why not in this area too! YMMV
 
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Errollyn said:
A lot (most?) people can't imagine why anyone would drink so much. But then there's those of us who considered 7 drinks per week as taking a week off. I used to have a bunch of different liquor stores and convenience stores I'd buy from, because it was embarrassing to go to the same store multiple times per week. 😬
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Yikes. Again, kudos to you for dealing with it.

On the levels of consumption -- courtesy of Gemini AI and (what it says) is CDC data:

"According to CDC data, around 5.1% of the US adult population (aged 18 and over) engages in heavy drinking, which is defined as consuming more than 7 drinks per week for women and more than 14 drinks per week for men."

Assuming this is right ... so if the government got all over this and really moved the needle on multigenerational behavior, 5% of the US populate could lower their cancer risk by ~2% by making a life long change to a culturally and socially common activity.

5% * 2% = 0.1% reduction in long term US cancer risk.

This is a giant nothing-burger from a cancer health perspective. Take any energy that might go into this and triple down on drunk driving. Or dealing with the opiod crisis. Or...or...or...

On a personal level? Perhaps another reason to not drink to excess but the existing health/life risks of heavy drinking are way more serious IMO.
 
I'm going to stick with what Peter Attia recommended. I you choose to include alcohol in your life, no more than 7 drinks/week, no more than 2/day. Not willing to quit altogether (yet at least), and don't really need/want more. YMMV
 
Devil is in the details, did they compensate for people that drink also smoke and make a meal from bar snacks? I remember when they said a glass of wine was good for you.
 
Moderation is key to everything in life. Some smoke all their lives and don't die of cancer, but they may die from the effects of smoking all of their life.
 
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