Advisory from US surgeon general says alcohol contributes to 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 cancer deaths each year

Summary

Alcohol is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the US, contributing to 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 deaths annually, according to a new US surgeon general advisory.

Breast cancer accounts for 16.4% of annual alcohol-related cancers, with alcohol increasing the risk of at least seven types, including liver, colorectal, and throat cancers.

Most deaths occur among heavy drinkers, though 17% occur within recommended limits.

Alcohol promotes cancer through DNA damage, inflammation, and hormone changes. Despite clear links, only 45% of Americans recognize alcohol as a cancer risk.

  • @MutilationWave
    1•21 hours ago

    This stuff could be saving lives if scaled up.

    Even on their site, which I agree seems too good to be true, they state that this product offers no benefits beyond hangover mitigation. If it works as claimed, that’s great, but it will not slow or reverse the damage of heavy drinking.

    • @[email protected]
      2•16 hours ago

      Of course they won’t make health claims without extensive studies, it’s the correct and responsible thing to do. I also agree that it can’t “reverse” anything, that’s not how bodies work.

      However, there is, up to this point, no research about how reducing/eliminating acetaldehyde from becoming present in the body reduces the harm of drinking. All we know is that it’s definitely poison en vitro as an isolated compound. The logical conclusion is that it’s also a terrible poison en vivo but until this invention there was no way to test the downsides of ethanol ingestion independent of acetaldehyde but I have no faith any such study will ever be funded in the current puritan environment despite potentially huge public health wins.