Alcohol consumption is a major contributor to cancer in Europe, according to a new report by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) cancer research agency. Experts say that stronger government measures to reduce drinking could prevent tens of thousands of new cancer cases and deaths each year.
In the European Union — the region with the world’s highest alcohol consumption — more than 111,000 new cancer cases in 2020 were linked to alcohol, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reported. Globally, alcohol was associated with an estimated 741,000 new cancer cases, nearly 70% of which occurred in men.
Beyond the human toll, the financial impact is also severe. In 2018, premature deaths from alcohol-related cancers cost European countries €4.58 billion.
“The WHO European Region, especially the EU, is paying too high a price for alcohol in preventable cancers, broken families, and economic losses,” said Dr. Gundo Weiler, head of prevention and health promotion at WHO Europe. “Some call alcohol a ‘cultural heritage,’ but disease, death, and disability should not be normalized as part of European culture.”
How Alcohol Causes Cancer
Alcohol was first classified as carcinogenic by IARC in 1988. It increases the risk of at least seven cancers — of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, liver, colorectum, and female breast.
Researchers believe alcohol contributes to cancer through several biological mechanisms, including hormonal changes, alterations in the gut microbiome, and DNA damage caused by oxidative stress and acetaldehyde, a toxic byproduct of alcohol metabolism.
Reducing or quitting alcohol consumption significantly lowers the risk of developing these cancers. Most alcohol-related cancers are associated with “risky” drinking (two to six drinks daily) or “heavy” drinking (more than six drinks daily). However, even “moderate” consumption — fewer than two drinks a day — accounted for over 100,000 new cancer cases worldwide in 2020.
Strategies to Reduce Risk
For the first time, IARC’s new analysis assessed the potential benefits of preventing alcohol-related cancers. The findings confirmed that broad public health policies to reduce alcohol consumption directly lower cancer risk.
The agency recommended a range of evidence-based measures, including higher alcohol taxes, minimum pricing, increased legal drinking ages, restrictions on sales and marketing, and government control of alcohol distribution.
These strategies, IARC said, have been proven to reduce consumption and, consequently, the incidence of alcohol-related cancers. One 2021 study suggested that doubling alcohol excise taxes could have prevented 6% of new alcohol-related cancer cases and deaths in 2019 across the WHO European region.
“Raising awareness about the cancer risks of alcohol — and the fact that no level of drinking is safe — is crucial,” said Dr. Béatrice Lauby-Secretan, deputy head of IARC’s evidence synthesis and classification branch. “Everyone has a role to play in reshaping social norms around drinking.”
