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A large international team of doctors and medical researchers has discovered evidence suggesting that people who stop drinking alcoholic beverages may reduce their risk of developing certain types of cancer. In their study, reported in the New England Journal of MedicineThe group analyzed the results of several previous research efforts to learn more about the impact of quitting alcohol.
Previous research has suggested that regular consumption of alcoholic beverages may increase the risk of developing certain types of cancer, such as cancer of the mouth, esophagus, and larynx, as well as, in some cases, colon cancer. and breast. And last year, the WHO went so far as to say that no level of alcohol consumption is safe.
The research team wondered whether the cancer risks associated with regular alcohol consumption would be reduced if a person stopped. To find out, they analyzed data from more than 90 studies on alcohol-related cancers, including withdrawal. They found sufficient evidence that reducing or stopping alcohol consumption actually reduced the risk of certain types of cancer, specifically those involving the mouth and esophagus. There was less evidence of a reduced risk of breast, laryngeal or colorectal cancer.
Researchers note that it is not the alcohol in drinks that causes cancer, but acetaldehyde, considered a toxin. It is generated by liver enzymes during the metabolism of alcohol. Notably, it’s the same substance that can give a person a hangover. Reducing alcohol consumption, they noted, reduces the amount of acetaldehyde produced by the body, which reduces the risk of developing certain types of cancer.
The research team was not able to determine the degree of risk reduction associated with stopping alcohol, nor how long after stopping alcohol a person experiences these benefits. They note, however, that stopping drinking for just one month, only to start drinking again the next month, probably doesn’t have much effect on cancer risk. So drinkers who choose to go dry in January must maintain their new habit in the future if they wish to reap such rewards.
More information:
Susan M. Gapstur et al, The IARC Perspective on Reducing or Quitting Alcohol and Cancer Risk, New England Journal of Medicine (2023). DOI: 10.1056/NEJMsr2306723
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