====== Alcohol use and cancer ======

It's known that regular alcohol use - even at moderate levels - can increase the chances of developing various types of cancer.

After several decades of research, the increase in risk is now widely accepted to account for around 3.5% of cancer deaths worldwide. ( ref. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_and_cancer|Wikipedia]] )

The exact biological mechanism(s) which cause this increase have not yet been identified.

It's currently thought that the increased risk may be due to toxic breakdown products of alcohol, rather than the alcohol itself.

Much of the ongoing research is focusing on //acetaldehyde//, the first and most toxic metabolite of alcohol.

>__Although the exact mechanism of ethanol-associated carcinogenesis still remains unknown,__ a number of factors may contribute to the development of alcohol-associated cancer, including ethanol metabolising enzymes.\\ \\ Source : [[https://europepmc.org/article/med/19164086|Human Genomics]], 3(2):101-102

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Also see : [[content:medicine:drugs:alcohol_aging]] and [[content:medicine:drugs:alcohol_cardio]]