Data from addicts

Frequent alcohol consumption increases the risk of cancer

People who drink a lot of alcohol have a higher risk of developing cancer. This has now been proven by French scientists using data from more than 850,000 alcohol addicts. Alcoholics who receive treatment, on the other hand, have a lower risk of developing cancer.

For men who had treatment or were abstinent, the risk fell by 42 percent. For women it was 38 percent. This was shown by data from more than 650,000 patients diagnosed with alcohol dependence. The starting point was information from men and women who were discharged from a hospital in France between 2018 and 2021.

4.1 percent of illnesses caused by alcohol
Conversely, frequent alcohol consumption is associated with a higher risk of numerous cancers. "Alcohol consumption is associated with many diseases and damage, for example with various forms of cancer: Cancers of the mouth, larynx, esophagus, liver, colon and breast. The disease burden of alcohol-associated cancer is substantial and accounted for 4.1 percent of all cancers worldwide in 2020," write Michael Schwarzinger from the University Hospital in Bordeaux and his team.

These statements were based on data from more than 850,000 alcohol addicts. "Men account for around three quarters of alcohol-related cancers because they consume more alcohol on average," explain the scientists. The study was published in the journal "Lancet Public Health".