New Guidelines On Cancer Prevention Recommends Quitting Alcohol Completely

The new guidelines on cancer prevention released by the American Cancer Society (ACS) include a recommendation about completely cutting off alcohol from one’s diet. Previous advice only called for limiting alcohol consumption to no more than two each day for men and one drink daily for women. The health body defined a drink as 1.5 ounces of 80% proof distilled spirits, 5 ounces of wine, or 12 ounces of regular beer.

Avoiding It Completely

According to the ACS, alcohol consumption accounts for around 6% of all cancers and 4% of all deaths caused by cancer in the United States. It revealed, “Alcohol use is one of the most important preventable risk factors for cancer, along with tobacco use and excess body weight.”

ACS also identified the types of cancer that have been linked to alcohol consumption. These include mouth cancer, throat, voice box, esophagus, liver, breast, colon, and rectum. It added that alcohol use increases the risk of cancer of the stomach and might impact the risk of developing other cancers as well.

Higher Consumption Means Greater Risk

The cancer authority also divulged that higher alcohol consumption increases your risk of developing some types of cancer. In some cancer forms, such as breast cancer, consuming even the smallest amount of alcohol can increase your risk. If you drink and smoke, the risk of developing cancers of the throat, esophagus, voice box, and mouth further increases.

According to experts, this may be because alcohol aids harmful chemicals in tobacco to enter cells that line your esophagus, mouth, and throat. Alcohol has also been found to curtail the ability of these cells to repair the damage to their DNA caused by tobacco chemicals.

Other Changes

Other significant modifications to the ACS guidelines include recommending more physical exercises and, if possible, to completely avoid red and processed meat from your daily diet. It likewise advises steering clear of sugar-sweetened beverages, as well as “highly processed foods and refined grain products.”

For physical activity, the ACS urges adults to engage in 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75-150 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercises each week. It also emphasized that going more than the upper limit of 300 minutes is optimal.