Alcohol and risk to develop a cancer!

Research indicates that the more alcohol a person drinks—particularly the more alcohol a person drinks regularly over time—the higher his or her risk of developing an alcohol-associated cancer such mouth & upper throat, larynx, oesophagus, breast, liver and bowel.

How Does Drinking Alcohol Increase Cancer Risk?

Alcohol is believed to increase the risk of getting cancer in multiple ways:

• By breaking down (known as “metabolizing”) ethanol in alcoholic drinks to acetaldehyde, which is a toxic chemical and a probable human carcinogen that can damage both cellular DNA and proteins.
• By generating reactive oxygen species (ROS − chemically reactive toxic molecules that contain oxygen), which damage DNA, proteins, and fats in the body via a chemical reaction known as oxidation.
• By impairing the body’s ability to absorb and use various nutrients associated with cancer risk – such as vitamins A, the B complex vitamins such as folate, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, and carotenoids.
• By raising estrogen levels, a sex hormone linked to higher breast cancer risk.