How Much Alcohol Does It Take to Raise Your Cancer Risk?

Research has shown that the more alcohol a person drinks — particularly the more a person consumes regularly, over time — the greater the risk of cancer. The association is true for all types of alcohol: beer, wine and spirits. But even what we think of as “light” or “moderate” drinking — up to one drink per day — increases the risk of some cancers, like those of the mouth, pharynx and breast. “There is no safe level of alcohol when it comes to cancer risk,” said Dr. Ernest Hawk, the vice president and head of the division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

 The Battle Over What to Tell Americans About Drinking

Officials in other countries are warning about the health hazards of alcohol in any amount. Americans are still told that moderate drinking is safe. What gives?

 The Surgeon General Calls for New Warning Labels on Alcohol—Here’s the Truth About How It Impacts Your Health

Recent studies suggest drinking is riskier than once believed. What do we know now that we didn’t know then—and is it time to stop sipping for good?

Alcohol Consumption Raises the Risk of Seven Cancers, Says U.S. Surgeon General in a New Health Advisory

The “Nation’s Doctor” has called for a cancer warning label on alcoholic beverages and suggests the recommended limits for alcohol consumption should be reassessed.

Alcohol increases cancer risk, but don’t trust the booze industry to give you the facts straight

The alcohol industry has been misleading the public about the real link between alcohol and cancer, with tactics similar to those used by the tobacco industry. This is the finding from research published today in the Drug and Alcohol Review journal. The misleading information is being passed off as health messaging to a public largely unaware that it’s coming from the industry itself. For nearly three decades, we have known cancer risk increases with alcohol consumption levels, on a dose-to-response basis. That is, the more we drink the greater the risk.

Forget drinking in moderation: Here's why science says abstinence is your best option for a healthier life

Sobering science tells us that no amount of booze is good for our health. So should we rethink the way we drink? During Dry January in 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a statement about alcohol that poured warm, stale lager on the idea that any amount of booze is good for you. There’s no such thing as a safe drink, it said. Issued in The Lancet Public Health, the statement reminded us that “alcohol is a toxic, psychoactive and dependence-producing substance and [was] classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer decades ago.” Sobering stuff, and a surprise for those of us who toast our health with the occasional tipple.

Health Check: does alcohol cause cancer?

The World Health Organisation’s new World Cancer Report 2014 shows cancer is responsible for 8.2 million deaths in 2012. Around 340,000 of those deaths were the direct result of alcohol consumption. The link between alcohol and cancer itself is not news. Way back in 1988, the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that alcohol consumption was a group one carcinogen – a direct cause of cancer in humans.

How much does alcohol increase cancer risk? What to know after recent advisory

According to the advisory, less than half of Americans know of the cancer risks posed by drinking alcohol.

Some sobering facts about alcohol and cancer risk

If you choose to drink alcohol, keep your cancer risk as low as possible by having no more than 2 standard drinks a week. The less alcohol you drink, the lower your cancer risk.

The U.S. surgeon general wants cancer warnings on alcohol. Here's why

"Alcohol is the third leading preventable cause of cancer behind tobacco and obesity," Murthy, who will leave office later this month, told NPR. "Just to put this in perspective, alcohol is responsible for about 100,000 cases of cancer in the United States each year and 20,000 cancer deaths."

Your favorite drink can cause breast cancer – but most women in the US aren’t aware of alcohol’s health risks

Did you know that casual drinks with friends or having a “wine mom” moment to unwind could actually be nudging up your risk for breast cancer? It sounds like a buzzkill. But it’s a truth that many might not know: Alcohol actually causes breast cancer.