Most people think drinking small amounts of alcohol is harmless, but new research shows that even just one drink a day adds health risk, including cancer.
Study authors defined alcoholic beverages as any drink that contains alcohol, also known as ethanol.
“A metabolite of ethanol, which is the alcohol that we drink, is called acetaldehyde,” Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Department of Epidemiology professor Elizabeth Platz said at a Nov. 6 remote media briefing. “It is a mutagen. It causes DNA mutations, and it is a known human carcinogen.”
Platz added that alcohol is a risk factor for liver cancer and cancers of the mouth, throat, and esophagus in smokers, as well as colon, rectal, and breast cancer for women.
However, much of the public isn’t aware.
”The public should know that the risk of cancer increases with the amount of alcohol consumed,” Platz said. ”There are ways to reduce the risk of cancer caused by alcohol drinking. One is never drinking alcohol.”
The rise in alcohol-free beverages reflects a broader change, according to Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Department of Mental Health associate professor Johannes Thrul.
“More people want the social experience without the physiological downsides of alcohol,” Thrul said at the virtual press conference this week. “We should encourage and support drinking reduction, and we need social environments that make not drinking as easy and as accepted as drinking."
He added that clear communication is needed to make sure consumers know the risks and make informed decisions about drinking alcohol.
Drinking alcohol can also impact mental health.
“Alcohol might feel relaxing in the moment, but physiologically, it disrupts restorative sleep, increases anxiety the next day, and can contribute to long-term mental health problems,” Thrul added.