Despite growing research that points to the negative health impacts of alcohol, many Americans are unaware of the connection between drinking and cancer risk.
A recent report from the American Association for Cancer Research found excessive levels of alcohol consumption increase the risk for six different types of cancer, including:
- breast cancer
- colorectal cancer
- liver cancer
- stomach cancer
- certain types of head and neck cancer
- esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
“Some of this is happening through chronic inflammation. We also know that alcohol changes the microbiome, so those are the bacteria that live in your gut, and that can also increase the risk,” Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News, recently said on “CBS Mornings.”
But how much is too much when it comes to drinking? We asked experts what to know:
I mean, a single cigarette per year is pretty safe if you can resist the addiction.
Smoking a cigarette can be used as a bronchodilator. Maybe not the best choice, but probably not a big deal either if used occasionally.