Alcohol can cause at least seven types of cancer
For a lot of us, the idea that alcohol can cause cancer is hard to accept. After all, for many of us, it’s seen as an everyday part of life.
Watch and find out how drinking alcohol affects your risk of breast cancer
Regularly drinking alcohol increases your risk of developing at least seven types of cancer. Hover over the images to see.
Liver Cancer
Around 5,400 primary liver cancers were diagnosed in the UK in 2013.*
Drinking more than around 5 units of alcohol a day increases the risk of liver cancer. This amount of alcohol is above the current government guidelines for alcohol intake. Long term heavy drinking causes cirrhosis, a condition where the liver is repeatedly damaged and scar tissue builds up, and may also directly damage the DNA in liver cells.*
Mouth Cancer & Pharyngeal Cancer
A large Cancer Research UK study looking at lifestyle factors that cause cancer found that around a third of cancers of the mouth and throat (30%) were caused by drinking alcohol.*
The nitrosamine chemicals in alcohol pass over your mouth, throat and top of the larynx (the epiglottis) as you swallow. Upper throat cancer forms in the tissues of the hollow tube inside the neck which starts behind the nose and ends at the top of the windpipe and oesophagus.
Breast Cancer
Around 49,900 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK each year. Breast cancer is now the most common cancer in the UK (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) and by far the most common cancer in women.*
Many research studies show that regularly drinking alcohol is associated with a higher risk of developing breast cancer. Even regularly drinking only one drink a day can increase your risk.
All types of alcohol, including wine, beer and spirits are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. While the type of alcohol does not matter, the size, alcohol content and number of drinks you have will affect your risk of breast cancer. The more alcohol you drink, the higher your chance of developing breast cancer at some point in your life.**
Stomach Cancer
According to a recent World Cancer Research Fund report, there is strong evidence that consuming three or more alcoholic drinks a day increases the risk of stomach cancer. The report found that alcohol acts as a solvent, enhancing penetration of carcinogens into cells. These findings come at a time when stomach cancer is the third biggest cancer killer in the world with over 900,000 new cases a year.*
*Diet, Nutrition, Physical Activity and Stomach Cancer, World Cancer Research Fund 2016
Bowel Cancer
The fourth most common cancer in the UK. Around 41,900 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer each year in the UK.*
Alcohol increases the risk of bowel cancer. So cutting down on the amount you drink could reduce the risk. About 11 out of 100 bowel cancers (11%) in the UK are linked to drinking alcohol.
The risk of bowel cancer goes up with the more alcohol you drink. But even fairly small amounts can have an effect. The EPIC study found that for every 2 units a person drinks each day (less than a pint of premium larger or large glass of wine), their risk of bowel cancer goes up by 9%*
Oesophageal Cancer
Around 8,750 people are diagnosed with oesophageal cancer each year in the UK. It’s become more common over the last 40 years.
Drinking alcohol increases your risk of squamous cell oesophageal cancer.* This cancer starts in the cells of the skin-like lining of the oesophagus. Your risk increases if you drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week. The less you drink, the lower your risk of developing cancer.
Laryngeal Cancer
You are at higher than average risk of developing cancer of the larynx if you drink regularly. Alcohol, and the chemicals it contains, passes over the top of the larynx (the epiglottis) as you swallow. Compared to non-drinkers, heavy drinkers have about 3 times the risk of developing cancer of the larynx.*
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14 units equals 1½ bottles of wine
or 6 pints of regular strength lager