While in Hong Kong with a few exchangers from NUS, I got into a discussion on alcohol consumption over lunch one day. One of the guys mentioned off-handedly that he wanted to be healthy into old age. In response, a friend pointed out that he should probably reconsider his rate of alcohol intake if he really intends to preserve his health long-term. He began defending his alcohol habits, saying that he is “pretty normal” at his university in terms of alcohol consumption. He kept referring to the saying, “You aren’t an alcoholic until you graduate from college.” Nevermind that I’ve never heard of that and nevermind the fact I disagree with it. Another girl in the group, who studies medicine in Hong Kong, started bringing up more biologically-inspired (rather than socially inspired) points about alcohol. She led off with, “Alcohol causes cancer.”
At first, I took her claim in the same way I take most “X causes cancer” claims. Yeahhhhh, right. I am tired of hearing about such-and-such causing cancer. The phrase is used so often it’s hard to take seriously. I even started to use it sarcastically myself a while ago, saying that “X causes cancer” if I didn’t want someone to do, drink, or eat X. It seems organizations can leverage society’s fear of cancer, in conjunction with our gullible nature, to scare people aware from, or towards, a certain product or activity. Generally, even if there is SOME link between X and cancer, the link is not causal or is so insignificant it’s not worth worrying more about than the risks taken by crossing the street.
But from there she diverged from the usual “X causes cancer” argument – which usually ends at “X causes cancer.” She said she had read studies about the links between alcohol and cancer in some of her courses. Researchers, she claimed, believe that alcohol can lead to oral and throat cancers. Still, I was skeptical. The subsequent discussion was fairly long, but one of the most convincing points that made me take her seriously was that the International Agency for Research on Cancer had labeled alcohol as a Group 1 carcinogen. Agents are placed into this category when there is “sufficient evidence” supporting a causal link between the agent and a cancer.
Still, I was skeptical. It could only be in unreasonable amounts that alcohol significantly increased the chances of cancer, right? Thinking more critically, I decided to do just a bit of research to see if there was any truth to the alcohol-causes-cancer claim. A search on Google Scholar with the query “alcohol and cancer” quickly legitimizes the claim. See for yourself. I read through the abstracts of a few of the publications. Researchers have established a “causal connection between alcohol consumption and cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, liver, colon, rectum, and, in women, breast” according to a study published in The Lanclet Oncology journal in 2006. More broadly, they say that “alcohol is an important cause of cancer worldwide.” Numerous other publications make similar claims, including this one that states, “carcinogenesis can be enhanced with relatively low daily doses of ethanol.” That is, I have to accept that even my moderate consumption is a risk that is not something to dismiss too quickly. Thus far, the mechanism by which alcohol stimulates carcinogenesis has not been fully identified.
More recent studies continue to support the claim. In 2016, a study published in the journal Addiction points to seven sites in the body at which alcohol can lead to cancer, and states that “current estimates suggest that alcohol‐attributable cancers at these sites make up 5.8% of all cancer deaths world‐wide.”
This came as a surprise to me. Now that I think about it, I suppose it’s not too surprising that alcohol can increase my risk of cancer. I briefly thought I was just ignorant and that it was a well-known (and, in that case, largely ignored) fact, but a couple other people in the group said they’d never heard of the carcinogenic effects of alcohol. Of course, none of us were arguing that alcohol was doing our bodies a favor – I was completely aware that I was accepting a fun night with friends at the cost of a few brain cells. Furthermore, I thought myself to be not terribly ignorant in this domain. I have asked a few professors and other seemingly knowledgeable people about alcohol and its effects. My intro Biology professor told the class on the last day of class that he consumes alcohol regularly, and we asked him to explain his risk-benefit analysis. I remember him focusing on the “brain cell” argument, saying that the myth is true. Alcohol does, in fact, kill brain cells – but so few (assuming moderation) that it has a negligible effect on the workings of the brain. That was comforting at the time. I thought, If anyone is well-positioned to make an informed decision on whether or not the social benefits are worth the biological risks, it’s Dr. Jag – after all, he specializes in biochemistry. What he failed to mention, hopefully out of ignorance (though I find this hard to believe), is that alcohol is a carcinogen.
Still, I am skeptical. To be sure, I am not going around screaming EVERYONE SHOULD STOP DRINKING ALCOHOL, YOU’RE GOING TO GET CANCER!!! I just found it interesting that I’d never heard of this research. I am sure there is more to the story. I am not under the impression that a consumer of alcohol is going to drop dead in the next five minutes. People have been drinking alcohol for a very long time and will continue to do so – for a very long time. I haven’t even decided how I’m going to use this knowledge in my own life. I feel fairly inclined to abstain from drinking. I don’t consume much alcohol – shouldn’t it be easy to give up the couple of beers I have every few weeks? Not sure yet, habits are powerful.
I was quick to dismiss a link between alcohol and cancer, but I’m glad it was brought up in a context that made me consider it more seriously. It’s surely something that the beer and wine and liquor industries would rather us not know.