A recent European study has found that "more than 18% of alcohol-related cancers in men and about 4% in women were linked to excessive drinking," according to the BBC. The study also showed that even abstaining from alcohol later on did not protect people from alcohol-related cancers.
Although the exact process through which alcohol triggers the growth of cancer cells isn't clear, scientists have found that when alcohol is broken down in the body, a chemical is produced which can damage DNA and increase the possibility of developing cancer. Alcohol is classified as a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. It has been linked to cancers in the liver, larynx, mouth and throat.
The National Health Service of the United Kingdom recommends no more than four units of alcohol per day for men and three units a day for women. A unit of alcohol is equal to a single shot of whiskey or a little less than a half-pint of beer. The study showed that even men who drank three units or women who drank one-and-a-half units of alcohol were still at risk for cancer. The study was published in the British Medical Journal, and is part of a larger cancer study called the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer.
-compiled by Haley McKey
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