Latest Alcohol and cancer Stories

A U.S. doctor suggests limiting alcohol consumption may lower the risk of developing some cancers. Breast cancer expert Dr. Wendy Chen of Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston says researchers have found post-menopausal women who consume one alcoholic drink a day may increase their risk for breast cancer. Women need to consider the possible effects of alcohol on breast cancer risk when weighing the risks and benefits of alcohol consumption, Chen says in a statement. Our findings indicate...

New research has revealed that people who drink alcohol in a group assess risk better and are less likely to make mistakes than those who drink alone.Researchers from the departments of psychology at London South Bank University and the University of Kent discovered that although a moderate intake of alcohol causes individuals to make errors, these don't occur if people reach decisions as a group.London South Bank University's Dr Daniel Frings - one of the principal researchers on the project...

A new Japanese study suggests that drinking coffee may reduce a person's risk of developing oral cancers.The Japanese consume relatively high amounts of coffee, and Japanese men also experience comparatively high incidences of esophageal cancer. Dr. Toru Naganuma of Tohoku University, Sendai, and his colleagues wanted to examine whether the consumption of coffee provided any protective effects from these cancers. They analyzed data from the population-based Miyagi Cohort Study in Japan, which...

Regular drinking could put you at greater risk of developing colorectal cancer.Researchers report regular consumption of alcohol "“ more than 30 grams of alcohol per day "“ can cause an interaction that increases colorectal tumors in people with a mutation of the ADH1C gene. This genetic mutation is found in Caucasians. When these patients drink, they produce more acetaldehyde "“ an enzyme that creates a higher risk for colorectal cancer."Regular alcohol consumption of about 50...

Downing a pint of beer or large glass of wine every day increases the risk of liver and bowel cancer, says the World Cancer Research Fund in Britain. While some studies suggest moderate alcohol consumption can reduce heart disease, the same amount of alcohol may damage a person's DNA, increasing their risk of cancer by 20 percent, said Dr. Rachel Thompson, a spokeswoman for the cancer research fund. When you consider how many cases of these types of cancer are diagnosed in the (United...

Drinking low to moderate amounts of alcohol may delay cognitive decline in older women, a University of Glasgow researcher said. The study of nearly 6,000 people ages 70-82 in Ireland, the Netherlands and Scotland found drinking low to moderate amounts of alcohol may delay cognitive decline in older women. However, the same benefits were not seen in men of the same age group. David J. Stott of the University of Glasgow used the Mini-Mental State Examination as the method for assessment of...

It's been known for years that smoking is responsible for an increased risk of lung cancer, and now researchers have discovered it's also responsible for an increased risk of colorectal cancer.Tobacco was responsible for about 5.4 million deaths in 2005 alone, yet there are still an estimated 1.3 billion smokers worldwide. Researchers at the European Institute of Oncology conducted a meta-analysis of 106 observational studies looking at a total of almost 40,000 new colorectal cancer cases to...

Smoking is significantly associated with an increased risk for colorectal cancer and death, a meta-analysis of studies by Italian researchers found. Edoardo Botteri of the European Institute of Oncology in Milan, Italy, and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis to review and summarize published data examining the link between smoking and colorectal cancer incidence and death. The researchers identified 106 observational studies. The meta-analysis was based on a total of nearly 40,000 new...

U.S. researchers have identified a region of the human genome that appears to determine how strongly drinkers feel the effects of alcohol. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center, found that a DNA sequence variation, known as a single nucleotide polymorphism, on chromosome 15 is significantly associated with the level of response to alcohol and could signal the genetic factors that affect alcohol abuse. The researchers investigated...

Women who drink more than two alcoholic drinks a day are associated with a higher risk of irregular heart beat, U.S. and Swiss researchers said. Dr. David Conen of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, in Boston, and colleagues at the University Hospital in Basel, Switzerland, analyzed data involving 34,715 women participating in the Women's Health Study. The participants were 45 years and older and had no atrial fibrillation at the start of the study and underwent...