Drinking Alcohol Raises Cancer Risk. Is Any Amount Safe for Health?

• Recent research found that alcohol-attributable cancer deaths in the United States doubled between 1990 and 2023.
• Another study found that even low levels of alcohol consumption were associated with an increased risk of several cancers.
• Other research linked heavy drinking to a 25% higher risk of colorectal cancer.

Alcohol consumption has long been linked to an increased risk of several health conditions, and three recent studies underscore its potential effects.

Cancer deaths attributed to alcohol consumption have doubled in the United States since 1990, according to research published in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas on September 2.

The findings come amid other recent research examining the risks associated with alcohol.

One study published in Nature Health linked alcohol consumption to several cancers and other health conditions, while another published in Cancer found that heavy drinking was associated with a higher lifetime risk of colorectal cancer.

Together, the findings add to growing evidence about the potential health risks of alcohol consumption, particularly with heavier drinking.

Alcohol-related cancer deaths doubled

Researchers used more than three decades’ worth of data from the Global Burden of Disease. They found that the annual alcohol-related cancer deaths rose from 11,361 in 1990 to 23,126 in 2023. 

While males and adults 55 years old and older saw the greatest burden, increases were also seen across most cancer types, age groups, and regions. 

The study also revealed that alcohol-related cancer deaths have not been limited to older adults or to liver cancer. In fact, among adults ages 20 to 54, colorectal cancer was the leading cancer death attributed to alcohol in men, while breast cancer was ranked first for females. 

“What this study makes clear is that alcohol-related cancer risk is not limited to one disease or one group of people,” Gilberto Lopes, MD, senior author of the study and chief of the Division of Medical Oncology at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, said in a press release. 

“As physicians and cancer researchers, we have an opportunity to help patients understand that alcohol is a modifiable risk factor and that even small, informed changes can be part of a broader strategy to reduce cancer risk in our community,” he added. 

Study examined alcohol’s effects on 20 health conditions

Research shows that even low levels of alcohol consumption may increase the risk of certain health conditions, particularly some cancers.

The researchers analyzed 843 cohort and case-control studies to evaluate the relationship between alcohol consumption and 20 health outcomes, including 10 types of cancer, 4 cardiovascular diseases, and 6 other conditions.

The researchers found moderate evidence linking alcohol consumption to an increased risk of five health outcomes:

• lip and oral cavity cancer
• laryngeal cancer
• cirrhosis and other chronic liver diseases
• pancreatitis
• colorectal cancer

The researchers found even stronger evidence for pharyngeal cancer, with alcohol consumption associated with at least a 105% increased risk across typical consumption levels examined in the study.

“While I readily recognize the role that alcohol consumption plays in the human experience, when anyone asks me about safe alcohol consumption, I always begin by saying that abstinence is the safest and truest bet,” Matt Glowiak, PhD, licensed counselor and chief addiction specialist with Recovered, told Healthline in a previous interview.

“If one is going to drink, it is within their legal right if of age. However, they must make themselves fully aware of the health implications, which extend greatly beyond any warning label posted directly on beverage labels,” he added. 

Heavy drinking linked to 25% higher risk of colorectal cancer

A recent study found that people with higher lifetime alcohol consumption may have a greater risk of developing colorectal cancer.

The researchers observed 1,679 cases of colorectal cancer among 88,092 participants over a median follow-up of 14.5 years.

They found that current drinkers who averaged 14 or more drinks per week over their lifetime had a 25% higher risk of colorectal cancer compared with current drinkers who averaged less than one drink per week. This level of consumption was also associated with a 95% higher risk of rectal cancer.

The researchers also found that, compared to those who had consistently light drinking patterns, consistent heavy drinking was associated with a 91% higher risk of colorectal cancer.

When researchers examined former moderate-to-heavy drinkers, they found no evidence of an increased risk of colorectal cancer compared with consistent light drinkers.

Compared with current light drinkers, former drinkers also had a lower risk of developing nonadvanced adenomas, growths that can sometimes develop into colorectal cancer. The researchers said this finding suggests that alcohol cessation may lower adenoma risk.

“This study provides hope that it is never too late to reduce alcohol consumption since this can lead to fewer colon polyps and potentially cancer reduction,” Anton Bilchik, MD, PhD, surgical oncologist, chief of medicine, and Director of the Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Program at Providence Saint John’s Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, CA, told Healthline in a previous interview.