As an oncologist, I almost never drink. When I see alcohol flowing, I can’t block the cancers it causes… and I believe it’s taking a terrible toll on young people: PROFESSOR JUSTIN STEBBING
From enjoying a beer with colleagues at the end of a stressful day to lingering over a chilled glass of white at a family gathering, there’s no doubt that a drink can be both relaxing and invigorating.
After all, isn’t a little bit of what you like, as the cliché goes, a good thing?
While the social value is clear, as an oncologist, when I see booze flowing, I unfortunately cannot block out what advancing scientific research continues to make clear – that drinking any form of alcohol, even in moderate amounts, increases the risk of alcohol abuse increases. risk of developing cancer.
And not just, predictably, liver cancer, but several others too – including breast cancer, head and neck cancer, esophageal cancer, colorectal cancer and stomach cancer.
In a major report published last month, the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) found that drinking just one drink – defined as one bottle of beer, a regular glass of wine or a shot of spirits – per day increases the risk of increases the development of oral diseases. cancers.
The NCI has also found that if you are a woman who drinks seven drinks a week, or a man who drinks fourteen drinks a week – which is considered a moderate drinker by the NHS – your risk of developing mouth and throat cancer increases. is. 1.8 times higher than in those who do not drink.
Just recently, a powerful report from the American Association for Cancer Research estimated that 40 percent of all cancer cases are linked to lifestyle factors that we can change—and that alcohol would likely play the most prominent role.
For those of us who work in this area of medicine, it comes as no surprise.
When I see booze flowing, I can’t deny what advancing scientific research continues to make clear – that drinking any form of alcohol increases the risk of cancer, writes Prof. JUSTIN STEBBING
According to the World Health Organization, in 2019 more than one in twenty cancer diagnoses in the West were attributed to alcohol consumption. Again, this was due to drinking at levels that were not necessarily considered excessive by most people.
Of particular interest in this emerging picture is the rising incidence of cancer among younger adults, that is, under 50 years of age.
Between 2011 and 2019, the number of cases of colorectal cancer in this group in this country increased by 1.9 percent per year.
To put that figure into context, the average age of bowel cancer diagnosis in the UK is 71 years.
As an oncologist, I see an increasing number of people under the age of 50 with bowel cancer and other cancers – and the balance of evidence is that heavy social drinking is linked to an increased risk of developing the disease.
The link between drinking and an increased risk of cancer is specific to a substance known as ethanol – essentially the alcohol in your drink.
The body breaks down ethanol into a compound called acetaldehyde, which can damage DNA, the blueprint of our cells – and it is this DNA damage that leads to cancer.
It doesn’t matter whether you choose wine, spirits or beer, it is the breakdown of the ethanol itself that can cause cancer.
That’s why drinking should be considered a bleak reversal of hitting the lottery.
The more tickets you buy, the more likely you are to get the big win.
With alcohol, the more you drink, the greater the chance that your cells will develop cancer.
Alcohol can also make it harder for the body to absorb nutrients, such as vitamins that protect our cells and help reduce the risk of cancer.
It can also affect hormone levels and good bacteria in the gut, all of which can lead to an increased risk of cancer.
Then there’s the socio-economic picture: excessive drinking is associated with a sedentary, unhealthy lifestyle – as well as smoking and obesity, which are themselves major risk factors for the disease.
Of course, cancer can be random and occur without the risk factors we traditionally understand.
I have treated countless patients who developed the disease despite being slim, fit and non-smokers – and non-drinkers with no family history. As difficult as it is to deal with cancer, sometimes cancer is simply due to bad luck. That’s why it’s so important to raise awareness of the things that can increase risk.
And what the data is clear is that no amount of alcohol is completely safe – despite frequent promises that a glass or two of red wine is generally ‘good’ for you.
Furthermore, the more you drink, the worse the damage, so heavy drinkers are at greater risk.
But even as a cancer doctor, I understand that we should enjoy life (not least given that I treat people who are forced to face their mortality). I am also aware that alcohol helps us bond, laugh and strengthen the social fabric of society.
Personally, I don’t drink much because I don’t like it. To be sociable, I have a drink every now and then and I have the talent to make one beer last a very long time.
But I think it’s important that we spread the word about the NHS recommendations, which state that men and women should drink no more than fourteen units of alcohol per week, spread over at least three days.
Granted, it at least gives people an idea of a reasonable limit. But according to research from Drinkaware last year, 82 percent of adults in Britain are completely unaware of the specific guideline.
Meanwhile, the number of British binge drinkers is set to rise by 13 percent by 2023, according to a report this year from the World Health Organization.
We can’t spend our lives wringing our hands wondering how to avoid cancer – life is for living. But we need to be aware of the direction of travel, at least when it comes to drinking.
And especially in younger adults. Unlike many risk factors for cancer, alcohol consumption is a factor we can control, whether it is a low-alcohol drink, drinking less or simply not drinking at all.
- Justin Stebbing is an oncologist and professor of biomedical sciences at Anglia Ruskin University
- Interview by ANGELA ESTEIN
