Alcohol – Even in Moderation – Can Increase Your Cancer Risk

Do you enjoy an occasional cocktail or glass of wine? You might want to consider a nonalcoholic beverage instead.  Drinking alcohol – any amount of booze, really – can put you at higher risk for more than half a dozen cancers.

The links are strong enough that the U.S. Surgeon General in early 2025 issued a report that listed alcohol as one of the leading preventable causes of cancer. It is estimated that cancer is linked to 100,000 cancer cases each year in the U.S., with 20,000 deaths.

Studies since the late-1980s have shown links between alcohol and at least seven cancers:

• Breast
• Mouth
• Colon/Rectal
• Throat
• Liver
• Esophagus
• Voice box

Researchers are still exploring how drinking affects your risk. But studies have suggested several possibilities.

What Happens in Your Body?

A few glasses of wine may make you feel warm and fuzzy, but there are things happening inside your body that could lead to trouble down the road.

To begin with, the alcohol causes damage at the cellular level, which can lead to chronic inflammation and repeated damage to your DNA. The danger comes from the way your body repairs or replaces damaged cells. Every time this happens, there is a chance the new copy will be defective, with the potential to grow out of control and become cancerous. So, when you increase the amount of repair work required by your body, you also increase the chances of a cancerous malfunction.

Alcohol may also make it easier for your body to absorb potentially harmful chemicals, particularly in your mouth and throat. Researchers have suggested that carcinogens contained in cigarettes, for example, may dissolve in alcohol, making them easier for your body to absorb. At the same time, alcohol may also hinder your body’s ability to absorb certain beneficial nutrients (including folate, which may help protect against certain cancers) in the intestines.

For women, alcohol increases the levels of estrogen and other hormones linked to elevated risk of breast cancer.

Contributing to Unhealthy Choices

In discussions about risk factors for various cancers, alcohol often enters the arena in one way or another.

There are some risk factors – including genetics, age and sex – that are uncontrollable. But there are others – including sedentary lifestyle, smoking, poor diet and obesity – that are considered controllable. Unfortunately, drinking often goes together with many of these controllable factors.

Heavy or frequent drinking can lead to poor decisions. You may be more likely to smoke a few cigarettes, grab a cheeseburger and fries or skip your morning workouts. This may not be a direct cancer risk, but it can certainly contribute to other risk factors.

Not Ready To Stop Drinking?

The idea of totally giving up alcohol is an unwelcome challenge for many people, particularly when it is such an integral part of social interactions and gatherings. The bad news is that having even one drink a day will increase your risk of cancer.

However, research has shown that the most significant risk increase occurs with heavy drinking – more than four drinks a day. The risk for colon cancer, for example, can increase by up to 50 percent.

The better news is that the increased risk is much lower with moderate drinking, say a drink a day. But unfortunately, the risk is never going to be zero if you are drinking alcohol, even socially.

And if you want to lower your risk for cancer, particularly colorectal cancer, focus on improving the modifiable risk factors. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day; cut back on processed foods and red meats; eat more fruits and vegetables; stop smoking; and eat more fiber.

This content is not AI generated.