Past alcohol use linked to higher bowel cancer risk

People who drank heavily throughout adulthood had a 91% higher risk of bowel cancer than those who consistently drank little, according to a study reported by ERR. The findings suggest that alcohol consumption over a person’s entire adult life should be considered when assessing risk, though past habits do not determine their future health.

Researchers from the United States and Britain examined alcohol use across adulthood in more than 88,000 people. The study, published in the journal Cancer, also found that people who had stopped drinking were less likely to have early-stage bowel polyps, or adenomas, than those who still drank small amounts. Some polyps can develop into cancer, but the study did not establish how quickly or by how much stopping alcohol reduces bowel cancer risk.

Alcohol can contribute to cancer through several processes, including DNA damage caused by acetaldehyde and oxidative stress. It can also disrupt folate metabolism and contribute to inflammation through changes in the gut microbiome and intestinal barrier.

Nearly 1,000 people in Estonia are diagnosed with bowel cancer each year. It is the country’s third-leading cause of cancer death among men and the leading cause among women, killing about 190 men and 220 women annually.

The study also comes as bowel cancer diagnoses among people under 50 have risen. From 2000 to 2023, incidence in this age group increased by an average of 3% a year among men and 2% among women. Among men, the annual rate rose from three cases per 100,000 in 2000 to six in 2023.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer classified alcoholic drinks as carcinogenic to humans in 1988.