Share on PinterestHeavy drinking has been linked to numerous health problems, including heart and liver disease and various types of cancer. Instants/Getty Images
- Factors such as a diet high in processed meat and low in fiber, obesity, and physical inactivity have been linked to colorectal cancer risk.
- A recent study found that consistently drinking large amounts of alcohol and larger averages for lifetime alcohol consumption might also increase the risk for colorectal cancer.
- The results suggest another possible danger related to the heavy use of alcohol throughout one’s life.
Research continues to unfold regarding colorectal cancer and its relationship to alcohol use. A study published in the journal Cancer looked at how lifetime drinking relates to the risk of developing colorectal cancer, an area that has not seen as much focus.
The findings indicated that heavy lifetime drinking and heavy drinking in general may increase the risk of colorectal cancer.
Hence, the study suggests that quitting drinking may decrease the risk for non-advanced colorectal adenomas, highlighting a possible benefit of stopping alcohol consumption.
14 or more drinks a week and cancer risk
For this research, the authors used data from the prospective Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial. Researchers had data from a baseline questionnaire regarding certain risk factors, such as lifestyle, as well as dietary history data from another questionnaire.
The authors explain that they wanted to see how lifetime drinking related to risk for colorectal cancer and incidence of colorectal adenoma. Adenomas are noncancerous tumors. However, the authors point out that adenomas are precursors of colorectal cancer.
When they analyzed colorectal cancer, they included 88,092 participants. Researchers were more restrictive in whom they could include in their analysis of colorectal adenoma incidence. However, they excluded certain participants from both outcomes, such as those who had missing data on lifetime alcohol use.
Researchers evaluated lifetime alcohol use based on participants’ dietary history questionnaires. Participants provided information on how often they drank in four age ranges, such as their alcohol consumption when they were between the ages of 18 and 24. They could answer based on certain categories, such as answering that they drank six or more drinks per day. Participants also provided data on alcohol use over the past year.
Researchers categorized participants as current, former, or never drinkers and further divided participants into four categories for average lifetime drinking: “less than one, from one to less than seven, from seven to less than 14, and 14 or more drinks per week.”
Researchers also explain that they defined drinking patterns across adulthood. Past and current drinking was classified as light, moderate, or heavy based on sex-specific United States Dietary Guidelines, and drinking status was as never, former, or current.
In all, there were 812 cases of colorectal adenoma, among 12,327 participants, with additional data on where the tumors were located and their severity. Researchers did not find a link between current drinkers with the highest average lifetime alcohol intake and a greater risk for adenoma compared to current drinkers who had the lowest average lifetime alcohol intake.
However, the results suggested that people who quit drinking were at a lower risk for non-advanced adenomas, compared to current drinkers with the lowest average lifetime alcohol intake.
91% higher colorectal cancer risk
Regarding colorectal cancer, there were 1,679 cases that occurred, and the median follow-up time was 14.5 years. Results of the analysis suggested that current drinkers with the highest average lifetime alcohol intake were at a higher risk for colorectal cancer and, more specifically, rectal cancer than current drinkers who had the lowest average alcohol intake.
On the flip side, the results suggested that participants with an average lifetime alcohol intake of seven to less than 14 drinks weekly were actually at a lower risk for colorectal cancer compared to current drinkers with the lowest average lifetime alcohol intake, with the lowest risk being for distal colon cancer.
Participants who currently and consistently drank heavy amounts of alcohol “had 91% higher risk of CRC [colorectal cancer] compared with current, consistent light drinkers.”
The authors also suggest their findings indicate that current drinkers who drank at a moderate level at some point or points in their lives and former moderate-to-heavy drinkers did not have a higher risk for developing colorectal cancer.
Study author Erikka Loftfield, PhD, MPH, Stadtman Investigator, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, summarized some of the key findings to Medical News Today:
“We found that compared to drinking
