Alcohol consumption increases the risk of eight cancers: that of breast, colon, rectum, mouth, pharynx, liver, esophagus and stomach.
- On more than 61,000 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed in 2023 in France, around 8,000 are due to alcohol, according to the National Cancer Institute.
- Alcohol is the second preventable risk factor for cancer, after tobacco.
- This drink is involved in eight cancers: that of breast, colon, rectum, mouth, pharynx, liver, esophagus and stomach.
In 2023, there were 61,214 new cases of breast cancer in France, according to THE Panorama of cancers in France. Among them, around 8,000 are due to alcohol, according to The National Cancer Institute (Inca). However, this reality is sometimes minimized, even unknown.
More than 50 studies show a link between alcohol and breast cancer
“”In consultation, quite often, women do not wonder about the most obvious risk factors, such as alcohol, but about deodorants or bras, which they have heard of on social networksindicates Emmanuelle Mouret-Fourme, oncogenetic doctor at the Institut Curie, at the France Press Agency (AFP). However, they are not those scientifically demonstrated ”. And adds, “more than 50 studies highlight the link between alcohol consumption and breast cancer“.
In a note Published a year ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) already alerted: “For women in Europe, breast cancer is the main cancer caused by alcohol, representing 66 % of all cases of cancers attributable to alcohol”. This link also exists in those who drink moderately. “” “More than half of cases of breast cancer attributable to alcohol in Europe are not due to excessive consumption of alcohol, and around a third of the new annual cases are due to consumption equivalent to two small glasses of wine per day”Said the health body.
For Emmanuel Ricard, spokesperson for the league against cancer, this risk would exist even with much lower consumption: “If, for liver cancer, it is estimated to consume three to four standard glasses per day, there is a very high sensitivity for breast cancer: one glass per day is enough“.
Alcohol, second risk factor
After tobacco, alcohol is the second preventable risk factor for cancer, according to the Inca which estimates the consumption of this drink as being at the origin of 28,000 new cases each year and 16,000 cancer deaths. Eight cancers are affected by this link, those of the colon and rectum (more than 6,000 cases/year), mouth and pharynx (more than 5,600 cases/year), liver (more than 4,300 cases/year), esophagus and stomach.
To limit the risk and be healthy, Public health France recommends not to drink more than two glasses per day and not every day. By week, the ideal is not to exceed ten glasses and to respect at least two days without alcohol.
Stopping smoking, a healthy and balanced diet, as well as regular physical activity also help reduce this risk. L’WHO Recommend to adults aged 18 to 64 to make 150 to 300 minutes of moderate intensity endurance activity or from 75 to 150 minutes of intensity endurance activity sustained per week.
