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2007-8-30 13:49:37 |
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Tuesday July 31 (foodconsumer.org) -- Drinking alcohol in moderation may be good for the heart, but even one glass of wine a day may significantly increase risk of colorectal cancer or bowel cancer, according to a major European study published in the early online edition of the International Journal of Cancer. The study of 479,000 Europeans found that increased consumption of alcoholic beverages such as wine and beer was associated with elevated risk of colorectal cancer. The more one drank, the higher the cancer risk he had. The results were based on the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study between 1992 and 2000 in which participants were followed up for an average of 6.2 years. For the study, participants were surveyed by questionnaires for their alcohol consumption when they entered the study and life-time consumption of alcohol was also available for the majority of subjects. During the study, 1,833 were diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Researchers found a small, yet statistically significant correlation between alcohol drinking and risk of colorectal cancer or CRC. In addition, the cancer risk depends on amount of alcohol consumed. The higher consumption was linked to a higher risk. Specifically, daily consumption of 15 grams of alcohol was associated with an 8 percent increased risk of colorectal cancer. The effect of alcohol varies with the site of cancer. Those who drank 15 grams a day were 12 percent more likely to have a cancer in the rectum, 8 percent more likely to have a cancer in distal colon and 2 percent more likely to have cancer in proximal colon compared to those who did not drink. With alcohol consumption at the time of enrollment considered, beer drinkers who had 20 to 39.9 grams each day had 38 percent increased risk of colorectal cancer compared to those who drank little. For wine drinkers, the risk was increased by 21 percent. The nutrition status may also affect the effect of alcohol on the risk of colorectal cancer. Those who had low folic acid intake while having 15 grams of alcohol a day had their risk increased by 13 percent. This is compared to 3 percent for those who had high intake of folate. Drinking alcohol has been linked to a number of other cancers. One study found chronic alcohol consumption may stimulate progression of melanoma. The study was conducted in mice and published by Tan W. and colleagues in the May 8 2007 issue of Cancer Biology & Therapy. Drinking alcohol has been also linked with increased risk of oral cancer. This was recently reported by Morse DE and colleagues from New York University College of Dentistry and published in the July 24 2007 issue of Cancer Causes Control. The most infamous effect of drinking alcohol may be on breast cancer risk which has been widely publicized. A recent Danish study of 17,647 nurses found that those who drank 22 to 27 drinks per week were 230 times as likely as those who drank 1 to 3 drinks per week to develop breast cancer. The finding was reported in the April 18, 2007 issue of European Journal of Public Health. Even for the link between drinking alcohol and risk of colorectal cancer, the current study is not the first to find such a link. Bongaerts BW and colleagues from University Maastricht, Maastricht, the Netherlands found that "a daily alcohol consumption of > or =30 g is associated with an increase in risk of CRC (colorectal cancer), independent of the presence or absence of the studied characteristics of different etiological pathways." The results were published in the March 2007 issue of British Journal of Nutrition. Most recently, Seitz HK and Stickel F from University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany have published an article in the Aug 7 2007 issue of Nature reviews: Cancer explaining that alcohol-mediated carcinogenesis may be caused by the alcohol's metabolite, acetaldehyde. Much research has been performed in that area. But they said alcohol may also cause cancer by inhibiting NDA methylation and by interacting with retinoid metabolism. However, as always, studies result in different conclusions. One case-control study by Greving JP and colleagues from Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet Stockholm, Sweden found that a monthly consumption of 620 grams of alcohol was associated with a decreased risk of renal cell cancer. For those who drank more than two glasses per week of red wine, the risk was reduced by 40 percent, for white wine drinker, the risk was reduced by 30 percent, and for strong beer drinkers, the risk was cut by 40 percent. The results were published in the July 24 2007 issue of British Journal of Cancer. . ### . Copyright 2007 foodconsumer.org All rights reserved. Foodconsumer.org publishes daily news and reports on food and diet, some of which are not available from the mainstream news media. This article can be used by individuals and organizations for not-for-profit purposes without prior express permission from foodconsumer.org on condition that this article including the author and this copyright note should be used in entirety without alteration. |
