Moderate reduction in alcohol consumption lowers the risk of death from cancer.
Even a moderate reduction in alcohol consumption can significantly decrease mortality from oncological diseases. This conclusion was reached by scientists from La Trobe University, who analyzed over 70 years of national statistical data from Australia — on mortality, levels of alcohol and tobacco consumption, as well as population health indicators. The results of the study were published in the British Journal of Cancer (BJC).
The researchers showed that long-term alcohol consumption is associated with the development of several types of cancer — primarily liver cancer, cancers of the upper respiratory and digestive tracts, colorectal cancer, and breast cancer. According to their estimates, nearly half of deaths from liver cancer and cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract in men are related to alcohol, while in women, a significant proportion consists of breast cancer cases.
The strongest association was found in people over 50 years old. The researchers explain this by the cumulative effect: the harm from alcohol does not manifest immediately but increases with age. Against the backdrop of an aging population, this means that without preventive measures, the number of alcohol-related cancer deaths may rise.
At the same time, modeling showed that even small changes could have a noticeable effect. If the average alcohol consumption were to decrease by just one liter of pure alcohol per person per year, mortality from these types of cancer would decrease by several percent. According to the authors, these results confirm that reducing alcohol consumption at the population level is one of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent cancer.
