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Drinking alcohol increases the risk of getting more cancers than previously thought, according to a major study, which also found that drinking coffee protects against liver cancer.
Alcohol consumption is linked to several cancers, including those of the head and neck – mouth, pharynx and larynx – esophagus and intestine, as well as the better known link to breast and liver cancer, according to an international team led by Imperial College London.
The study also showed that consuming at least one coffee per day is associated with a lower risk of developing liver cancer and basal cell carcinoma of the skin, with the effects seen for both caffeinated coffee and decaffeinated. According to researchers, consuming dairy products and whole grains reduces the risk of colorectal cancer.
Giota Mitrou, director of research and innovation at the World Cancer Research Fund, which funded the research, said: “This general review confirms the evidence we have for alcohol and coffee in relation to cancer. Further research needs to better understand the mechanisms involved in the links between coffee and cancer as well as between alcohol and different cancer subtypes.
She said people concerned about how their diet might affect their cancer risk could check out the WCRF’s cancer prevention recommendations, which call for limiting alcohol intake, being at a healthy weight, and staying healthy. be physically active, and enjoy a diet rich in whole grains, vegetables, fruits and pulses.
Alcohol increases the risk of cancer because, when metabolized, it breaks down into chemicals that can bind to DNA, resulting in mutations that could become cancerous. Alcohol can also increase the levels of hormones linked to the development of certain types of breast cancer. In general, the more alcoholic beverages a person drinks, the higher their risk of developing one of the associated cancers, the scientists found.
The authors of the study call for more targeted public health policies to understand the link between alcohol consumption and cancer to encourage them to limit their consumption.
Coffee, on the other hand, is said to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that could protect against diseases triggered by inflammation such as cancer.
The Imperial study looked at data from 860 reviews of published studies that explored the association between food and nutrition intake and the risk of developing or dying from 11 different cancers.
Although researchers found weak links between cancer and most types of food and drink, the evidence for an increased risk of alcohol consumption and a reduced risk for coffee and dairy products was solids for the 11 cancers they examined.
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