Some sobering facts about alcohol and cancer risk
Did you know?
Drinking alcohol raises your risk of developing head and neck, breast, colorectal, esophageal, liver, stomach and pancreatic cancers.
Smoking and drinking together – and the number of drinks you have – also increases your risk of developing cancer. Tobacco and alcohol together are worse for you than either on its own.
Drinking about 3.5 drinks a day doubles or even triples your risk of developing cancer of the mouth, pharynx, larynx and esophagus.
Drinking about 3.5 drinks a day increases your risk of developing colorectal cancer and breast cancer by 1.5 times.
The less alcohol you drink, the lower your cancer risk.
Our recommendation
If you choose to drink alcohol, keep your cancer risk as low as possible by having no more than 2 standard drinks a week. The less alcohol you drink, the lower your cancer risk.
What is 1 standard drink?
One standard drink is about:
- 142 mL (5 oz) of wine, 12% alcohol content
- 43 mL (1.5 oz) of spirits, 40% alcohol content
- 341 mL (12 oz) of beer or cider, 5% alcohol content
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