Alcohol and cancer
Drinking alcohol is an important cause of cancer. The main ingredient in alcoholic drinks which causes cancer is ethanol. Drinking any type of alcoholic drink (beer, wine, spirits, ready to drink 'alcopops', cocktails, and so on) can cause cancer. A summary of the evidence linking alcohol and cancer is outlined below.
| Level of evidence | Increases risk of: |
| Convincing* |
Mouth, pharynx and larynx cancers Oesophagus cancer Bowel cancer (in men) Breast cancer |
| Probable* |
Liver cancer Bowel cancer (in women) |
*Click on word for definition (in a new window).
Drinking alcohol increases the risk of cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, bowel, breast and liver. People who drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes have a much higher chance of getting mouth, pharynx, larynx and oesophagus cancers.
It is not just heavy drinking that increases cancer risk: even drinking small amounts increases the chance of developing cancer.
(Source: Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective. World Cancer Research Fund / American Institute for Cancer Research, 2007).
