Despite a plethora of data linking alcohol consumption with cancer risk, Americans remain largely in the dark about this fact. And it could have deadly consequences, researchers say.
“It is important that people are made fully aware of the potential harms of alcohol so that they may make informed decisions about alcohol consumption,” said study author Kara Wiseman. She’s an assistant professor of public health sciences at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, in Charlottesville.
Alcohol has been found to increase the risk of seven cancers,including breast, colon and mouth cancer. Alcohol-related cancers caused about 378,000 deaths worldwide in 2016, a study published last year found.
For the new study, Wiseman’s team surveyed nearly 3,900 Americans. Only 20% were aware that wine increases cancer risk; 25% knew beer did so; and 31% knew that liquor increased cancer risk, the findings showed.
Read the full article at U.S. News & World Report.
