New study challenges what we know about alcohol and cancer risk
Researchers find links between some cancers and alcohol consumption
- A new study by researchers from the University of Cambridge and the Karolinska Institute used Mendelian randomisation to investigate the genetic link between alcohol consumption and various cancers.
- The research confirmed that alcohol increases the risk of cancers of the head, neck, oesophagus, and bowel, suggesting the risk is primarily in body parts with direct alcohol exposure.
- Crucially, the study challenged the previously established genetic link between alcohol consumption and breast cancer, contradicting findings from earlier observational studies.
- Analysis of UK data also indicated that genetically predicted alcohol consumption was associated with a 44 per cent increased risk of overall cancer death.
- While experts from Cancer Research UK and Breast Cancer Now acknowledge the new findings, they reiterate the strong evidence linking alcohol to many cancers, including breast cancer, and advise limiting alcohol intake for health benefits.