New research indicates that alcohol-related cancer deaths in the US have more than doubled over three decades. A study published in August in the Lancet Regional Health found that annual cancer deaths attributed to alcohol climbed from 11,361 in 1990 to 23,126 in 2023.
The researchers, from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, analysed over three decades of Global Burden of Disease data. Their findings suggest that consuming just one drink per day could increase cancer risk, with impacts extending beyond liver cancer to include breast, prostate, colon, rectal, stomach, pancreatic, and head and neck cancers.
The study noted that older men experienced the most significant effects, with the alcohol-related cancer mortality rate among males aged 55 and older rising by nearly 24% over the 33-year period. For men, liver cancer deaths showed the strongest association with alcohol, while for women aged 55 and older, breast cancer was the leading alcohol-linked cancer killer.
Alcohol has long been categorised as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Research also suggests that even relatively low levels of alcohol consumption, such as 5 to 15 grams per day, can raise cancer risk.