Drinking alcohol increases the risk of cancer
A glass of wine with dinner, a beer to start the weekend and a glass of champagne if we have something to celebrate. Drinking alcohol is often part of everyday life, without considering its long-term health effects. But there are plenty of alternatives without alcohol and they are certainly no less tasty or festive!
Drinking alcohol increases the risk of several types of cancer, including liver, breast and colon cancer. It is therefore recommended to drink as little alcohol as possible. It also doesn’t matter whether you drink wine, beer or, for example, whiskey. It is the alcohol (ethanol) itself that is harmful.
A glass of wine a day is healthy, right?
In the past, it seemed that low alcohol consumption (a maximum of one glass per day) could protect against cardiovascular disease. We have since come back from this. The risks of alcohol do not outweigh any potential health benefits. There is therefore no reason for your health to start or continue to drink alcohol.
Calorie bomb
Did you know that alcohol contains no less than 7 kilocalories (kcal) per gram? In comparison: 1 gram of fat contains 9 kcal and 1 gram of sugar contains 4 kcal. Because of this, drinking alcohol can easily lead to weight gain and obesity. And being overweight increases the risk of twelve cancers. Drinking alcohol therefore increases the risk of cancer both directly and indirectly.
Do you want to know how many calories are in your favorite alcoholic drink? Check it out in the alcohol calories calculator.
Enjoy a delicious mocktail
Enough reasons to drink less or rather no alcohol at all. Fortunately, there are plenty of non-alcoholic celebratory drinks for you to enjoy. How about a mocktail, for example, a cocktail without alcohol? The World Cancer Research Fund has made a special booklet with the tastiest recipes for various mocktails. How about non-alcoholic mulled wine, for example? And doesn’t Tropical Delight sound delicious? You can the mocktail booklet free download.
This article was produced in collaboration with the World Cancer Research Fund. World Cancer has been the authority in the Netherlands in the field of nutrition, exercise, body weight and cancer for more than 25 years. There are no guarantees against cancer, but by eating and living healthily we can reduce the risk of cancer.
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