Ceasing alcohol consumption leading way to prevent cancer death, study finds

[Redfairen]

Source: PhysBizTech

According to a study conducted by the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH), the reduction of alcohol consumption can greatly enhance cancer prevention efforts by impeding the continual presence of carcinogens within body systems. Previous studies have cast alcohol as a prime perpetrator in cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, liver, colon, rectum and breasts; past investigations also suggest that alcohol has contributed to four percent of cancer-related deaths worldwide.

Using a lack of literature related to U.S. cancer mortality in association with alcohol as one incentive to delve, the Boston cohort set out for concrete answers to place on the page. Timothy Naimi, MD, MPH, from the Department of Medicine at BUSM, along with colleagues from the National Cancer Institute, the Alcohol Research Group, Public Health Institute and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, discovered that alcohol promoted the deaths of approximately 20,000 cancer patients annually — nearly 3.5 percent of all cancer deaths in the country.

Breast cancer was found to be the most alcohol-attributable driver of cancer death in woman, with 6,000 fatalities occurring annually — approximately 15 percent of all breast cancer deaths. For men, cancers of the mouth, throat and esophagus were the most common causes of alcohol-attributable cancer death, also resulting in about 6,000 deaths annually.

Furthermore, the study team made a startling calculation of potential life loss due to alcohol-attributable cancer deaths, with a staggering 18 years assumed to be lost due to such conditions. “In addition, although higher levels of alcohol consumption led to a higher cancer risk, average consumption of 1.5 drinks per day or less accounted for 30 percent of all alcohol-attributable cancer deaths,” the report found.

Read more: http://www.physbiztech.com/news/ceasing-alcohol-consumption-leading-way-prevent-cancer-death-study-finds

[maxsolomon]

1. Something's going to get you.

Might as well be something you love.

I wonder if "clearer" alcohol; vodka, gin, white wine, which have less congeners, would have less effect.

[KansDem]

16. Really...

12-year-old scotch?
Cancers of the mouth, throat and esophagus?
12-year-old scotch?
Cancers of the mouth, throat and esophagus?



I wonder if "clearer" alcohol; vodka, gin, white wine, which have less congeners, would have less effect.

I'll test your hypothesis and get back to you.

________

[randome]

45. But why go out sooner than necessary?

With stem cell research, it's very possible we can all live hundreds of years. May as well live our lives as if we have something to contribute rather than just sit and drink and die.

[olddad56]

47. why live longer than necessary?

what if the next level is better?

[GodlessBiker]

51. Why? Will that make people happier?

[maxsolomon]

57. well, other studies say that SOME alcohol is good for you

who am i to believe?

it seems most people manage to do both of the things you set in opposition.

[randome]

58. The one to believe is your own body.

Everyone's is different. Listening to your body, more than anything else, tells you what's best. That may sound like New-Age claptrap but I don't think it is.

[klyon]

2. really alcohol is legal may increase chances of cancer and pot may help prevent it

and it is illegal
Legalize now this is just getting more ridiculous every day

[bamacrat]

5. +1, couldn't have put it better than that. n/t

[Swamp Lover]

28. Pot does not "prevent cancer".

You may be able to find a study with stilted statistics, but there is no way that burning a plant and inhaling the smoke, any plant, has positive health attributes.

[timdog44]

37. Sounds like the same

stilted statistics used to say alcohol causes cancer. Agenda is a key word that is always hidden.

[LanternWaste]

60. What statistics are you referring to, and precisely how were they stilted?

"like the same stilted statistics used to say alcohol causes cancer..."
What statistics are you referring to, and precisely how were they stilted?


"Agenda is a key word that is always hidden..."
What specifically leads you to believe there is a hidden agenda for this report?

[timdog44]

62. I was replying to the post

about finding stilted statistics in reference to pot smoking, and bringing up the same ethereal statistics of the alcohol study. And when there are no real statistics, it has been my observation that there is a hidden agenda.

But really, this is getting not nice and I'm out of here on this conversation. Someone saying they are not an idiot the way it was said below, implies others of us are.

[olddad56]

48. how do you know that for a fact?

[Swamp Lover]

56. How do I know this for a fact.

Well, for one, I'm not an idiot.....

[olddad56]

63. how do you know that for a fact.

Might just be your opinion.

[roody]

50. Burning and inhaling smoke are

not necessary to ingest pot.

[adigal]

67. Actually, I remember seeing a study about inhaled pot smoke

Arresting lung cancer. I will go look for it.

[kestrel91316]

3. Interesting. The only woman anywhere in my family who has had breast cancer was my

great-aunt. She liked her Manhattans (but was anything but an alcoholic). She also was a lifelong smoker, and she never had children, so she had multiple risk factors. Still, she didn't get cancer until she was in her 70s and lived several years before it killed her in the late 1990s.

[LanternWaste]

61. I too have a few relatives that are statistical outliers.

I too have a few relatives that are statistical outliers.

[Smilo]

4. I have known three people die from cancer

who never drank alcohol - two had breast cancer. (And yes I have known those that drank and still died from cancer).

There is the old joke - guy goes to the doctor and doc says you need to cut out smoking, drinking, drugs, fat, etc. The guy says - "will it make live to a 100?" - doc replies "no, you will just feel like it".

Life's a beach, and then you die.

[valerief]

6. But...but...the alcohol industry tells me booze is heart-healthy.

Think they have an agenda????

[former9thward]

9. No it is not the alcohol industry.

There have been countless studies showing moderate drinkers live longer than those who don't drink at all.

From the Mayo Clinic: Moderate alcohol consumption may provide some health benefits. It may:

Reduce your risk of developing heart disease
Reduce your risk of dying of a heart attack
Possibly reduce your risk of strokes, particularly ischemic strokes
Lower your risk of gallstones
Possibly reduce your risk of diabetes

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/alcohol/SC00024

[Xithras]

22. Pick your poison. Die of cancer or die of heart failure.

Alcohol reduces morbidity rates from cardiovascular disease, and increases your risk of getting cancer. If you quit drinking, you lower your cancer risk, and raise your odds of having a heart attack.

It's lose/lose (or win/win, depending on your perspective I guess), so making a drinking decision based on your "health" is pointless.

And in the end, we're all going to die anyway.

[sendero]

7. Well...

.... 3.5% huh?


From studies that probably don't control for things like heavy drinkers might be really unhappy people and stuff like that.

I think I'll do the same thing with this "study" that I do with the plethora of junk "medical science" studies that seem to erupt like zits on a 14 year old face - ignore it.

[enlightenment]

13. Yep.

My breaking point was the "lettuce will kill you" study a few decades ago. Not the toxic things they put on lettuce, just lettuce. They fed massive quantities to mice, you see - and they died.

[AngryAmish]

8. fuck that

honestly, fuck that sideways

[Coyotl]

10. Obviously, not drinking is a good idea if you like having breasts, mouth, throat, esophagus, liver..

Glad I quit that old habit when I did.

[Andy823]

26. Same here

Going on 28 years clean and sober. Looks like it was a good idea in more ways the one!

[Rhiannon12866]

66. +1000!

Kudos!

[bitchkitty]

11. Good to know.

Another reason to feel good about my non-drinking self!

[xxqqqzme]

12. Interesting.

Thinking of the women I know who have had breast cancer, some survivors, very few consumed alcohol. A couple had an occasional glass of wine or beer but not heavy drinkers.

[damnedifIknow]

14. Happy to see this.

Time to shed some light on this subject. Personally I have always thought of alcohol as a poison and no longer drink it. Thinking back on some of my hangovers, I never want to feel that way again. Life is too short in my opinion.

[Nika]

15. I have not drunk any alcohol in years.

This is just another bit of incentive to continue to stay away from it.

Both drinkers in my family died of cancer. Which proves nothing, but does give me food for thought.

[surrealAmerican]

17. I don't understand this.

If alcohol consumption is a contributing factor in only 3.5% of cancers, how would not drinking be the "leading way" to prevent cancer? Wouldn't this leave the other 96.5% of cancers unaffected?

[alarimer]

19. That jumped out at me too.

Mountain out of a molehill. A headline that said, "Alcohol contributes to 3.5% of cancer deaths" would not get any views.

[alarimer]

18. Yeah, but you'll die of boredom instead.

This article says basically nothing about the methodology. I have read nothing else about it. It was sort of oddly written anyway. Possibly it's a correlational study, but nothing in this article sheds any light on the methods, the sample size, the statistical methods used, etc. Very poor.

I have my doubts that it's as strong as they say.

Here's a link to the study abstract:

http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2012.301199?journalCode=ajph

Not much there. I don't know if that's a reputable journal or not. It isn't my field and the paper itself is behind a paywall.

[Shivering Jemmy]

20. unfortunately

ceasing alcohol consumption is also a way for me to have to confront my manifold problems.

[daleo]

21. Alcohol's protective cardio-vascular effects far outweigh this cancer risk

Some people shouldn't drink for many good reasons, but I think a straight-up heart health vs cancer comparison is favourable to moderate drinking.

[CTyankee]

23. Can anybody explain why women in countries like France, Italy and Spain,where wine is

regularly consumed with meals, do not have soaring cancer rates? They tend to consume it on a daily basis...

[daleo]

31. I think that's called the French Paradox

One theory is the Mediterranean diet is protective. Fresh produce, olive oil, fish...

[CTyankee]

32. and red wine. But what about all the butter in northern France?

I wonder if that makes a difference...

[daleo]

35. I forgot about red wine

Butter was considered bad for you in the past, now I think it's supposed to be ok.

Here's an amusing anecdote about butter.

I read a paper once that said butter consumption in toddlerhood correlated with high I.Q. later on in life. It was hypothesized to be good for brain cell development. I don't know if those results were ever replicated in other research. It seemed to work on my son, who sneaked butter by the spoonful as a toddler and is now doing an astrophysics PhD.

[CTyankee]

40. OK, there's the proof! Butter all around!

You have made my day!

[daleo]

41. Pleased to be of service

[riderinthestorm]

34. I know right? And they average 3 - 5 glasses/day depending on the study

that's cited.

[CTyankee]

42. by American standards, they are alcoholics...

actually, since I go to Europe once a year I can observe their drinking habits and when I see some folks drinking in cafes at 11 am I wonder. I can't even muster a glass of wine at lunch...

Not that they pound it down. They don't. but I marvel that they can drink in the middle of the day.

[riderinthestorm]

43. I love a glass of wine in the evening but that's because it puts me to sleep!

I can't imagine drinking in the middle of the day. I'd have to take a long nap afterwards.

I hear you about the drinking across the pond. Its amazing to me as well. Every time someone gives me the frown about having a second glass I have to roll my eyes.

Here's a great commentary...

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2009/03/22/can-you-be-a-healthy-drinker.html

"But what is moderate drinking? The answer turns out to be a tad less scientific than political or cultural. When I asked Michael Jacobson, executive director of the finger-wagging Center for Science in the Public Interest, he told me that one drink a day is moderate. And two? “Two is crazy,” he said. “That’s when you get health and all sorts of social and psychological concerns.”

But it defies reason that the difference between one glass and two is so drastic (and frankly, I don’t like being called crazy). The US government generally says one six-ounce glass a day for women is OK, and two for men (women metabolize alcohol differently than men, so it affects us more, even if we’re as large). The French consider three drinks for women, and 4.5 for men to be moderate. In the Netherlands, both genders get 2.75 drinks per day. The UK is slightly higher than the United States, letting women drink 1.75 drinks per day, and men 2.75 before they’re considered over-moderate.

Whatever the cultural definition of moderate, studies find different health results at different levels of drinking—in some cases, most benefits are seen at three drinks per day—and of course everything depends on a person’s individual weight, exercise and eating habits, and ability to tolerate alcohol. The sorry truth is that epidemiological studies rarely offer much good individual advice.

At Oldways, an organization that touts the benefits of the Mediterranean Diet, president Dun Gifford considers two drinks a day—maybe three—to be moderate, if they are consumed with meals. “You have a glass or two, sometimes three, and it eases tension, it makes us more social, and that’s a good thing for the human animal and for society,” he says. “A little bit of buzz doesn’t hurt people if they’re careful about it.” "



Cheers!

[CTyankee]

44. vive la difference! Obviously, the Continental Europeans have worked this thing out...

BUT you know that they don't have the same preservatives in their wine there, don't you? So you don't get any of the same effects as you do here.

In northern Italy I tried a wine in a local vineyard at about 10 am (kinda hesitantly) but apart from feeling a little dopey at first, it was an OK experience. Their bathrooms were a worst experience...the wine dopiness wore off pretty soon, tho...

[timdog44]

38. Precisely.

Plus, the next big study will show that moderate alcohol intake prevents cancer.

[hughee99]

24. Don't give Bloomberg any ideas. n/t

[Danmel]

25. My mother-in-law died of oral cancer

And she never smoked a cigarette in her life, and in the 27 years I knew her, she may have had one complete bottle of wine the entire time.

[Drunken Irishman]

27. Doesn't everything give you cancer nowadays?

[Baclava]

29. Too much thinking about cancers causes brain cancer, new study

who wants to go through life sober?

[tavernier]

30. Wow, I'd better throw out my left over wine!

Oh, wait... I never have any left over wine...



Cheers!

[timdog44]

39. I always wondered

what those wine stoppers were for. My father-in-law gave us one and we have never used it.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

33. ..but, but red wine prevents cancer

according to the

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/prevention/redwine

[Scairp]

36. I am not impressed

That drinking every single day for 30-40 years will kill you sooner is not a new thing and this idea that it very slightly raises the cancer rates is not exactly a "eureka!" moment. Doing just about anything in excess will cause you to die sooner than you should whether you actually get cancer or not.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

46. My mom was a teetotaler

Yet she still got stomach cancer.

[olddad56]

49. my mom never drank or smoked, died of cancer.

my dad was a hopeless alcoholic, outlived my mom and eventually died of alcohol withdrawals while in the hospital because he fell.

[name not needed]

52. More for me then.

[jzodda]

53. I am so tired of all these "studies"

They come out with one thing, then a new study contradicts an older one and then it repeats again.

I no longer read about them or listen when they report on them. I believe overall in moderation and I will just stick to that and be happy.

[Jennicut]

54. I don't drink anyway.

As a type 1 diabetic, alcohol can lower your blood sugar without you feeling the effects until it gets really low. Your liver has extra the amount of work to do. I might have a drink at holidays now and then but for the most part I hardly touch the stuff. Too many bad low blood sugar episodes.

[bemildred]

55. Translation: alcohol is a carcinogen.

Let the lawsuits begin.

[MindPilot]

59. Congress is going to have to improve significantly

before I can quit drinking.

[Lasher]

64. Isn't it a shame the way George Burns turned out?

Cigars and martinis every day, and the poor thing only made it to 100.

[shcrane71]

65. Well this OP sucks.

Damn.