Alcohol is associated with death. Alcohol-associated car crashes claim the lives of about 13,500 people annually in the U.S. An estimated 20,000 cancer deaths each year are attributed to alcohol consumption. In fact, behind tobacco and obesity, alcohol is the third-leading preventable cause of cancer. Yet more than half of Americans don’t know alcohol consumption is linked to higher cancer risk
Alcohol and cancer are highly related. The research to date shows alcohol use increases the risk of at least seven types of cancer, including:
Breast (in women)
Colorectum
Esophagus
Liver
Mouth (oral cavity)
Throat (pharynx)
Voice box (larynx)
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women, with roughly 270,000 cases diagnosed annually. Within that massive number is another: About 16 percent, or more than 44,000 cases of breast cancer, are attributed to alcohol consumption, according to a 2024 research review published in the American Cancer Society Of course, drinking is but one prominent risk factor that could raise a woman’s risk of developing cancer. Many others, starting with age, obesity, genetics/family history and environmental exposures (to radiation, for example), can also stack the deck against a person A predominant cause of these and other alcohol-related cancers (and a contributor to breast cancer) is a byproduct of the body’s breakdown of alcohol called acetaldehyde, which can damage DNA. Once damaged, cells can grow out of control and turn into tumors.
I would like people to at least be aware that alcohol is a carcinogen so that they can incorporate that in their decision-making of stopping alcohol in their lives.