disease risk, but new research presents
stronger evidence that alcohol is a direct
cause of at least seven forms of cancer.
“Promotion of health benefits from drinking
at moderate levels is seen increasingly
as disingenuous or irrelevant in comparison
to the increase in risk of a range of
cancers,” says study author Jennie Connor
of New Zealand’s University of Otago.
An analysis of recent research found
that alcohol might cause cancers of the
mouth and throat, larynx, esophagus,
liver, colon, bowel, and breast. The more
people drink, the worse the odds, reports
HuffingtonPost.com. Even small amounts
of alcohol aren’t risk-free, the analysis
reveals. Exactly how alcohol causes cancer
remains unclear. Researchers suspect a
compound called acetaldehyde, which
forms when alcohol is digested, might
damage cellular DNA. Alcohol could
also increase the body’s vulnerability
to carcinogens and raise estrogen
levels in women, increasing their
risk for breast cancer.
