United States: Young adults up to the age of 50 years have been developing breast cancer and colorectal cancer at progressively rising trends in the last six decades, and alcohol consumption may be contributing to this, a scientific report published today showed.
More about the news
One of the approaches is the report from the American Association for Cancer Research, which describes scientific developments that have contributed to developing new anticancer agents and better survival rates, the New York Times reported.
However, the authors also described a troubling pattern: While death caused by cancer has reduced for many years, general rates of several types of cancer have been rising unexplainably, especially in young adults in gastrointestinal system cancers such as colorectal cancer.
Of all cancers, 40 percent are said to be related to preventable lifestyle choices, according to the report.
It advises cutting down on alcohol as well as practicing behavior adjustments such as quitting smoking, maintaining a proper diet, avoiding the intake of unhealthy products, exercising, avoiding direct UV rays, and avoiding coming in contact with dangerous chemicals.
What more are the experts stating?
The authors have demanded that communication campaigns be used to inform the public about the dangers of alcohol and cancer-specific warnings on the containers and packages of these products.
The recommendations arise at a time when there has been a dramatic shift of opinion about the presumed healthy effects of moderate drinking, which was once thought to shield people from heart diseases.
As recently as last month August, a massive study of over 135,000 older people in Britain who were followed for over a decade revealed that moderate and light drinking did not result in the risk of heart disease being less than that of occasional drinkers, the New York Times reported.
Thus, more cancer death was observed among moderate and light drinkers as compared to occasional drinkers, particularly among low-income elders and those having chronic disease.
According to Jane Figueiredo, an epidemiologist at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles who served on the steering committee that prepared the report, “Fifty-one percent of people — or more than half — do not know that alcohol increases your risk of cancer” and “That’s concerning.”
She added, “We can talk about the myth that red wine has potential cardiovascular benefits, but there are many ways to keep your heart healthy, and these potential benefits don’t really outweigh your cancer risks.”
The reviewed report also points out that alcohol consumption in moderation causes damage to at least six forms of cancer, namely esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, as well as to the head, neck, breast, colon, liver, and stomach malignancies.