10 things you might not know about alcohol and cancer

Alcohol is bad for the prostate, the doc recommended my dad to quit smoking and drinking, also, he recommended my dad to eat healthy including fruits, vegetables and avoiding red meat, he did follow his recommendations and started taking a supplement alpharise, and it’s been incredible! he has been been taking it for only 4 months but the result has been great!

Nice knowledge about the cancer but we should discuss the lung cancer about because it is spreading world wide

I gave up alcohol 2 days before starting radio therapy for Prostate Cancer. That was 2 years ago and I haven’t gone back to it. Do not miss it at all. I’m also on hormone therapy and was told that alcohol interferes with the calcium in urine and increases the risk of osteoporosis as I have no testosterone to help keep bones healthy.

Completely gave up 12 years ago. mainly because i felt that my mind was still a bit fuzzy even two days after a bottle of wine. Best decision I ever made. Di I enjoy alcohol, of course. 12 years on, my business is better, sex life better, 2 stone lighter, do more sport and represent Great Britain in my triathlon age group at international level. Many more things to enjoy than a little buzz from alcohol.

An informative article, but life without things we enjoy is no life at all, though of course excess is always wrong. I will not be scared by this, but will continue to drink very moderate quantities (when not driving!).

Clear useful article.

Isn’t the true answer moderation in all things?

Sadly all this information has arrived a little too late for me! I have recently had my left tonsil removed which has been increasing in size for most of this year. I didn’t know why but did not think it was anything sinister. The result of the biopsies is positive, the cells are cancerous. I had no idea that alcohol caused cancer!! I just wish I had read this article years ago. I am not an alcoholic, but a regular social drinker so over the years have consumed too much alcohol. I don’t know what the future treatment will be until more results come back from MRI and CT scans. I can only live in hope for the moment. I wonder if there is any support group to help one to stop the social drinking habit apart from AA?

Is age not as big a factor in all this as alcohol?

Very informative – overall a well balanced article.

I would like to read more specific stats on the data linking cancer with alcohol consumption.

I was very surprised with this article, although I do not drink these days!

The unit guide was very informative and helpful. Thank you.

It brings it home on the amount I actually do drink when out at weekends. It is quite frightening.

This is interesting, but I think it stands to create lots of confusion in light of the fact that it is contrary to what Breast Cancer Care and many health professionals that I have met in my cancer journey say. To claim “causation” is using very strong language that may be in line with the government’s new position on alcohol, but is it actually fact?

Really interesting – I don’t drink a lot, but will definitely cut down

I already knew that drinking too much alcohol is bad for everyone but I was very interested to find out about the chemical, acetaldehyde that can cause cancer by damaging the DNA in our cells. At 67, I have now found that if I drink more than one small glass of red wine at night I have a very bad dehydration headache the next morning. Thanks very much for this information, I shall definitely protests this information to family and friends.

Very clear and informative. It will help me refrain! Thank you.

This was very interesting and has opened my eyes to a few things I was not truly aware off
Thank you

Like the unit guide that was quite a good explanation which I can show to a few people.

yep very intersting I am not drink much at all , but could get run over by bus!

This is excellent. Will help me to cut down or preferably give up alcohol from today. Thank you.

Interesting

Very good account

Very helpful especially the units in the different drinks

My first reaction is “Leave me Alone.” Thoroughly fed up and totally confused because it seems that there is no escape. You are going to die regardless. I understand that alcohol can cause extreme social problems but I still prefer to see someone having a social drink rather than seeing them smoke. Not only do smokers screw up their lungs but they are also some of the worst litter bugs on the planet. The air, the food, the stress, the products we use. You have to ask “Why bother being born?” Since having cancer and undergoing the treatment my entire ability to enjoy food and drink has been altered but thankfully I am now able at times to again enjoy a drink. I believe they used to serve it to patients in hospital.

I’ve never been much of a drinker. Once month I might decide I fancy a beer. Eating and drinking in moderation has always been a key principle of mine, instead of cutting out every pleasure in life just on the off chance is might harm my body.

That’s all well and good, but then what is life with our comforts and pleasures cut out?

Very useful information, thank you. I do enjoy a glass of wine with my meal at the end of the day and my hubby has a beer. Everything in moderation. In an ideal world, it would be nice if they could invent a drink that tastes as pleasant as wine, etc., without the alcohol. Wouldn’t that be nice.

Excellent piece of information-simple to understand- can be passed on easily to family & friends or anybody one is concern with. This can even be disseminated to students in schools.

Good advice casual reminder to all

Really good article explaining the facts. We are not big drinkers but usually get a few bottles in over the festive period. This article has made me think again and instead it will be virgin cocktails and Bucks Fizz without the fizz!

As ever, Cancer Research produces a very clear, easy to understand piece of information. Also well-timed for me as planned to celebrate my discharge (7 years since chemo) with a bottle at the weekend – perhaps I’ll just make it a glass!

Good article. I am recovering from Breast cancer. I was a heavy wine drinker for many, many years. I also had a pre-cancerous bowel polyp some years ago. \It just made sense to quit drinking now to give my body the best chance it has of recovery…..I didn;t find it easy to quit to be honest, but after 20 months it is now now a problem……alcohol actually is a nasty drug, if it were any other drug there would not be all this debate about us “needing it” to de-stress, etc. |It is the media, and the alcohol producers who put it across as a socially acceptable drug (and the Government makes a lot of revenue out of it too) – Alcohol is extremely toxic to us, on physical, psychological and social levels……….

Probably the best article I have read on the subject – and easily understood.

All very interesting. I used to like a glass of wine or two but could stomach beer. Since I moved to a village with it’s own brewery I’ve taken to drinking a pint or two of real ale and find I can stomach it better than wine, which now goes straight to my head and makes me quite ill. Wine gave me a sore head next day whereas beer seems very kind to me. However, I always drink a glass of water before I go to sleep to help my internal organs cope, and it really seems to work. No side effects!

My mum sadly passed away last October from cancer of the oesophagus and liver due to her alcoholism. She died 10 days after diagnosis.

Very good interesting article, certainly shouts awareness to everyone.

A really useful reminder put over in a way people can relate to. What puzzles me is don’t many people find their tolerance to alcohol decreases with age, I’m in my 50’s and enjoy a couple of small glasses of wine but feel the worse for any more, although I had a higher tolerance when I was younger.

We don’t drink and are often amazed at the amount of booze people buy when we are at the checkout. What a waste of money.

I am rather confused with the spirit measures a large double 35ml x2 ???
A standard measure is 25 ml and a Double 50 ml ! Where did 35 ml come from???

What if you don’t drink alcohol at all. Can that be harmful?

Alcohol is the drug of the masses, and in our troubled world of today with all its problems and daily stresses, it has to be recognized that without it as a destressor, many of us would be visiting the doctor for tranquilisers ,or other medicine to wind down at the end of a difficult day…Reality check here….we need to deal with the causation of why most of us drink too much, its us and our difficult lives which are the problem, not the drink. Mines a pint

Thanks for the useful article. I hardly drink but have members of my family too fond of beer, wine and cocktail. I will definitely share this on my Facebook page, hoping the my young nieces and nephews will read it.

I gave up alcohol around four years ago. At the time I was drinking almost every day and consuming many units. My son was four years old at the time and one day I realised what a bad example I must be setting and how much much my”wee man”, needed me.if that’s not a good enough reason then I don’t know what will be

I’m just recovering from breast cancer, and I do like a tipple now and again. However, having read this information I’m considering going alcohol free. I certainly don’t want to get any kind of secondary cancer.
I found the email extremely informative.

I’m an alcoholic but have stayed sober for 6 month now and feel a lot healthier for it now I need to quit smoking.

Very informative.

Thank you; l found all this info very hepful.

You refer to a “small” glass of wine as 175ml yet pubs, restaurants and bars etc. are obliged to offer a 125ml sized glass of wine yet they rarely advertise or promote this for obvious reasons. Perhaps we should be campaigning to ensure that this is advertised and made available and also that people are aware of it. Maybe more would drink less if this was widely available and people understood that the 175ml is, in fact, a medium sized glass of wine?
http://www.mesotheliomacureonline.com/

Very nice information

You refer to a “small” glass of wine as 175ml yet pubs, restaurants and bars etc. are obliged to offer a 125ml sized glass of wine yet they rarely advertise or promote this for obvious reasons. Perhaps we should be campaigning to ensure that this is advertised and made available and also that people are aware of it. Maybe more would drink less if this was widely available and people understood that the 175ml is, in fact, a medium sized glass of wine?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01q5cfc < This programme seems to tell us that actually cancer cases are not greatly increased by alcohol. What do you think? I am concerned that if tobacco is excellent at absorbing heavy metals and things like traces of radioactive polonium, maybe the carcinogen(s) are in the cigarette.