Alcohol is not good for health – we know it well. But it may sound a stretchable imagination that alcohol use causes cancer, isn’t it? Unfortunately, it is an established fact. Just like tobacco use, alcohol consumption causes serious damages to health and even may trigger healthy cells to turn malignant. Surely, it does not happen overnight; rather it is a slow and steady process.
Alcohol consumption is one of the most important and avoidable risk factors for cancer. It is responsible for different types of cancer including:
- Mouth
- Pharynx or Throat
- Larynx or Voice Box
- Esophagus
- Breast
- Liver
- Stomach
- Pancreas
- Colon and Rectum
- Prostrate
For each type of cancer, the more you drink, the higher the risk. But for some common types of cancer including breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, even a small amount can enhance the risk.
How Does the Type of Alcohol Play a Role?
Ethanol is an organic compound found in different types of alcoholic drinks including liquors (distilled spirits), wines, beers and others. However, the percentage of ethanol concentration varies though a standard size of alcoholic drink contains almost the same amount of ethanol (half an ounce approximately in 5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer, 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor,). It is not surprising that stronger or larger drinks contain a higher percentage of ethanol than the above-stated figure.
How Does Alcohol Consumption Increase Cancer Risk?
Studies and evidences have made it clear beyond doubt that alcohol and cancer are closely associated. However, it is still not clear how alcohol use increases cancer risk. The oncologists working at the best cancer hospital in West Bengal think that alcohol use works different ways to trigger cancer risk and it depends on the type of cancer as well.
Tissue Damage: Alcohol may cause irritation in mouth and throat. The cells, damaged this way, undergo repairing process which causes DNA changes. Modern medical science believes that mutation is only a step away from cancer.
Once alcohol is in body, it is converted into acetaldehyde. This chemical is powerful enough to damage the DNA inside cells. In vivo studies have confirmed that acetaldehyde causes cancer in animals.
Alcohol use also causes oxidative stress in cells, prompting them to develop more reactive oxygen molecules. These impair the cells from inside and it multiplies cancer risk.
Alcohol and its by-products inflict damages on liver, stomach and pancreas through inflammation and scarring. It is natural for the liver cells to repair themselves and in this process, they may end up with errors in their DNA, which is an underlying cause of cancer.
Weight Gain: Too much alcohol adds to your daily calorie consumption. It contributes to your extra kilos. It is now a known fact that obesity is closely and directly linked to cancer risks.
A Boost for Other Harmful Chemicals: Alcohol inflates the damages caused by other harmful chemicals such as, tobacco. In tobacco users, alcohol easily gets into the cell lining of the upper digestive tract. It explains why a combo of smoking and drinking is much worse and likely to cause mouth or throat cancers than the habit of smoking or drinking alone.