Drinking alcohol may boost lung cancer risk
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By David Liu, Ph.D. and editing by Stacey Sexton
Monday Oct 24, 2011 (foodconsumer.org) -- Studies presented at CHEST 2011 suggest alcohol consumption boosts lung cancer risk while consumption of fruits and black tea may reduce the risk.
Dr. Stanton Siu of Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California and colleagues found the link between drinking alcohol and lung cancer risk after analysing data from 126,293 men and women who were followed for more than 20 years. Factors considered included cigarette smoking, alcohol intake, body mass index, education and gender.
The researchers found that of 1,852 men and women who were diagnosed with lung cancer, smoking is the strongest predictor for lung cancer risk. This was followed by heavy alcohol consumption, which was defined as having more than three alcoholic drinks per day. Beer seemed to have a stronger impact on the risk than wine or liquor.
Many consumers may believe alcoholic beverages are heart healthy. Fewer people are aware that alcoholic beverages are human carcinogens, or cancer causing agents, recognized by the U.S. Toxicology Program.
Interestingly, Dr. Siu et al. also found body mass index, or BMI, was inversely correlated with the risk of lung cancer.
Another study, led by researchers from the Czech Republic, suggests drinking black tea may have a protective effect against lung cancer in nonsmoking women and that eating fruits may protect against the disease in both men and women.
All these studies are observational and do not prove any causal relationship. It's more likely that the reduction in the lung cancer risk may be an overall effect of a healthy lifestyle.
Lung cancer, including small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer, is expected to be diagnosed in 221,000 men and women in the United States in 2011. The disease is expected to kill 157,000 people in the same year, according to the National Cancer Institute.
The common risk factors for lung cancer include exposure to asbestos, coal products, mustard gas, chloromethyl ethers, gasoline and diesel exhaust, radon gas, air pollution, arsenic in drinking water, and chemicals like uranium, vinyl chloride and nickel chromates. Radiation therapy to the lungs and genetics are also common risk factors.
Lung cancer in its early stages does not cause any symptoms, which is why the disease is highly lethal. But common lung cancer symptoms can be chest pain, persistent coughing, coughing up blood, fatigue, weight loss, appetite loss, shortness of breath and wheezing.
Photo credit: Courtesy of public-domain-photos.com
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