BY DR. JOSEPH LIM
(By Dr. Joseph D. Lim and Dr. Kenneth Lester Lim, BS-MMG, DDM, MSc-OI)
THERE is a “causal relationship” between alcohol consumption and cancer.
This is the conclusion of the US Surgeon General’s Advisory on alcohol and cancer risk issued just this January 2025.
Presenting a summary of evidence, the US Surgeon General states that “the data in humans on alcohol and health show a strong association between drinking alcohol and increased cancer risk, regardless of the type of alcohol (e.g., beer, wine, and spirits).”
It says that rigorous research, across observational, biological, and genetic studies, has shown that alcohol consumption increases the risk of cancer for at least seven sites: breast (in women), colorectum, esophagus, liver, mouth (oral cavity), throat (pharynx), and voice box (larynx).
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization (WHO), classifies alcohol as a Group 1 carcinogen alongside tobacco, asbestos, and formaldehyde.
Group 1 is the highest level of classification by IARC for when “there is enough evidence to conclude that it can cause cancer in humans.”
The World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) ranks the evidence linking alcohol and cancer as “Convincing: Increases Risk,” also their highest ranking.
The US National Toxicology Program concluded in 2000 that “Alcoholic Beverage Consumption” is known to be a human carcinogen.
The conclusive evidence that alcohol causes at least seven types of cancer is also agreed upon by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute (NCI).
The association between alcohol use and cancer is also documented in US federal reports, including the 2016 Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health, which indicates that alcohol misuse is associated with cancers of the oral cavity, esophagus, larynx, pharynx, liver, colon and rectum. Even one drink per day may increase the risk of breast cancer.
Alcohol-related harms, including cancer, are further discussed in the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which says: “Emerging evidence suggests that even drinking within the recommended limits may increase the overall risk of death from various causes, such as from several types of cancer and some forms of cardiovascular disease.
“Alcohol has been found to increase risk for cancer, and for some types of cancer, the risk increases even at low levels of alcohol consumption (less than 1 drink in a day). Caution, therefore, is recommended.”
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Dr. Joseph D. Lim, Ed. D., is the former Associate Dean of the College of Dentistry, University of the East; former Dean, College of Dentistry, National University; Past President and Honorary Fellow of the Asian Oral Implant Academy; Honorary Fellow of the Japan College of Oral Implantologists; Honorary Life Member of the Thai Association of Dental Implantology; and Founding Chairman of the Philippine College of Oral Implantologists. For questions on dental health, e-mail jdlim2008@gmail.com or text 0917-8591515.
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Dr. Kenneth Lester Lim, BS-MMG, DDM, MSc-OI, graduated Doctor of Dental Medicine, University of the Philippines, College of Dentistry, Manila, 2011; Bachelor of Science in Marketing Management, De la Salle University, Manila, 2002; and Master of Science (MSc.) in Oral Implantology, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany, 2019. He is an Associate Professor; Fellow, International Congress of Oral Implantologists; and Fellow, Philippine College of Oral Implantologists. For questions on dental health, e-mail limdentalcenter@gmail.com/PN
