Long-term effects of alcohol
Alcohol is a Group 1 carcinogen with dose-dependent harms.
The long-term health effects of alcohol are predominantly detrimental, with harm increasing alongside cumulative lifetime consumption.[1] According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, there is no consumption level of alcohol that is considered safe concerning cancer risk.[2]
Quick Facts
- Iarc classification
- Group 1 carcinogen
- Calories utilizable per gram
- 5–6
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
The World Health Organization states that alcohol is a toxic, psychoactive, and dependence-producing substance.[3] Ethanol causes cancer through biological mechanisms as the compound breaks down in the body, meaning any beverage containing alcohol poses a cancer risk.[3] Around half of all alcohol-attributable cancers in the WHO European Region occur among people whose consumption does not meet the definition of heavy drinking.[3] Chronic excessive alcohol use can damage nearly every part of the body, including the liver, cardiovascular system, and digestive tract.[4]
At least seven distinct cancer types are caused by alcohol, including those affecting the oropharynx, esophagus, liver, colorectum, and female breast.[1][3] Malnutrition can result from alcohol's disruption of the body's nutrient absorption processes.[5] Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, which encompass lifelong physical, behavioral, and intellectual disabilities, can be caused by alcohol consumption during pregnancy.[6]
What the research sources say
The World Health Organization has published a statement in The Lancet Public Health that there is no safe amount of alcohol that does not affect health.[3] The American Institute for Cancer Research states that alcohol is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States.[2] According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, cancer risk begins to increase even at low levels of alcohol consumption.[2] The WHO European Region has the highest alcohol consumption level and the highest proportion of drinkers in the population globally.[3]
The WHO notes that alcohol consumption is found to play a causal role in more than 200 diseases, injuries, and other health conditions.[7] In 2019, the WHO reported that alcohol consumption was responsible for 2.6 million deaths globally, with 2 million of those being men and 0.6 million being women.[7]
References
- Wikipedia, "Long-term effects of alcohol" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kluger, "The Health Risks of Alcohol Are Worse Than We Thought", The New York Times Magazine, 15 June 2024; "No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health", www.who.int; "No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health", www.who.int; "Alcohol and Cancer Risk: What You Need to Know", American Institute for Cancer Research, 29 April 2022 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "Alcohol and Cancer Risk: What You Need to Know", American Institute for Cancer Research, 29 April 2022. facts only, no text reused. aicr.org
- "No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health", www.who.int. facts only, no text reused. who.int
- Wikipedia, "Long-term effects of alcohol" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Drink, Drugs and Dependence: From Science to Clinical Practice", Routledge, 11 April 2002, p. 19–20 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Long-term effects of alcohol" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Cargiulo T, "Understanding the health impact of alcohol dependence", Am J Health Syst Pharm, March 2007, p. S5–11; "Alcohol and Cancer Risk: What You Need to Know", American Institute for Cancer Research, 29 April 2022; "Neurophysiologic findings in chronic alcohol abuse", Psychiatr Neurol Med Psychol (Leipz), 1985, p. 129–132; Testino G, "Alcoholic diseases in hepato-gastroenterology: a point of view", Hepatogastroenterology, 2008, p. 371–377; Stevenson JS, "Alcohol use, misuse, abuse, and dependence in later adulthood", A en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Long-term effects of alcohol" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Mechanisms involved in the neurotoxic, cognitive, and neurobehavioral effects of alcohol consumption during adolescence", Alcohol, 2010, p. 15–26; "Cancer warning labels to be included on alcohol in Ireland, minister confirms", Belfasttelegraph.co.uk, 26 September 2018 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Alcohol", www.who.int. facts only, no text reused. who.int
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Long-term effects of alcohol (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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