Having three or more drinks of liquor a day is
associated with an increased risk of dying from pancreatic cancer, shows a
well-designed study by American Cancer Society (2011).
The findings are based on an analysis of the Cancer
Prevention Study II, a decades-long study of more than 1 million US adults
who reported on various lifestyle factors like drinking, smoking, diet and
exercise. Because the study was so large, researchers were able to tease out the
relationship of alcohol to pancreatic cancer more clearly than previous studies
could, says lead researcher Susan Gapstur, Ph.D., M.P.H, vice president of
epidemiology at the American Cancer Society.
In particular, they were able to assess
whether alcohol is associated with pancreatic cancer independent of smoking.
Smoking is a well-known risk factor for pancreatic cancer, but because many
drinkers also smoke, it has been hard to separate the effects of each factor in
smaller studies, Gapstur says.
Elevated Risk with Hard Liquor
Among people who never smoked, those who drank
3 or more drinks of hard liquor daily had a 36% higher risk of dying from
pancreatic cancer than nondrinkers. Those who drank only beer or wine did not
have a higher risk. The researchers did not assess the risk in people who drank
more than one kind of alcohol.
Experts say, that the finding are important
for the medical professionals and for the people who have increased risk for
the pancreatic cancer development, comparing to the average due to the genetics
and hereditary factors. Before, the only two other lifestyle factors that are
modifiable -- smoking and obesity -- were
known to be associated with the risk for pancreatic cancer, which is one of the
leading causes of cancer death.
Yes, these factors are modifiable, so the
person may alter its lifestyle to minimize the risks to the certain degree.
Alcohol and Pancreatic Cancer
So, the study, which included more than 1.2
million Americans in San Francisco Bay Area, California, who were followed for
24 years, found that overall those who reported drinking three or more liquor
drinks daily saw their risk of dying of pancreatic cancer go up by about
one-third compared to nondrinkers. The same increase in risk wasn’t seen in
people who reported drinking the same amount of beer or wine each day.
Researchers think that may have something to do with the way these different
beverages are packaged and consumed.
Beer, for example, is most often found in
single-serving bottles or cans, which helps keep alcohol consumption in check.
When it comes to liquor, though, Gapstur says, “People are pouring a little
more from the bottle. For any given liquor beverage the average amount of
alcohol consumed is probably, on average, higher than an average drink of wine
or beer”.
However, some experts think the lack of an
association between pancreatic cancer and beer or wine may be a statistical
blip. They caution people not to assume those drinks are safer than liquor.
The pancreatic cancer-alcohol associations
remained after researchers tried to adjust the numbers for the effects of other
things known to influence cancer risk, like obesity, age, and a history of
smoking, or diabetes.
How Alcohol May Harm the Pancreas
The pancreas is gland that sits behind the stomach.
It’s responsible for producing the hormones insulin and glucagon as well as
enzymes that help to digest food.
Alcohol is partially metabolized in the
pancreas, Gapstur says, “and some of the early metabolites of alcohol can be
toxic to the cells. They can lead to changes in pathways that are important to
cancer like inflammation.”
It’s long been known that heavy drinking can
damages the pancreas and that excessive alcohol consumption can contribute to pancreatitis,
an inflammation of the pancreas characterized by severe abdominal pain and vomiting.
About 7 out of 10 cases of chronic pancreatitis are due to long term heavy
drinking. While chronic pancreatitis is a known risk factor for cancer of the
pancreas, the alcohol intake related chronic pancreatitis doesn't increase risk
as much as other types. Still, the causal link is obvious.
Heavy alcohol use can raise also the risk of
diabetes and liver cirrhosis, which are all certain risk factors for pancreatic
cancer.
Safe Drinking Limits
Complicating the picture on alcohol and health
is that excess consumption has been linked to a host of cancers including
breast, colon, liver, and cancers of the mouth, throat, or larynx. Moderate
drinking, at least in middle-aged adults, has been tied to a lower risk of
cardiovascular disease.
According to the researchers, the best rule of
thumb is to follow the recommendations of the American Cancer Society to “limit
consumption to no more than one drink a day if you’re a woman and no more than
two drinks a day if you’re a man.”
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