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  5. Some sobering facts about alcohol and cancer risk

Some sobering facts about alcohol and cancer risk

  1. Home
  2. Cancer information
  3. Reduce your risk
  4. Limit alcohol
  5. Some sobering facts about alcohol and cancer risk
Body showing that drinking alcohol raises your risk of developing mouth, breast, liver and other cancers

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.

Body showing that drinking alcohol raises your risk of developing mouth, breast, liver and other cancers

Our recommendation

Limit alcohol. To reduce your cancer risk, it’s best not to drink alcohol. Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health outlines the health risks of alcohol and can help you make an informed decision on whether you drink and how much.

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