Does Alcohol Increase Cancer Recurrence Risk?

When it comes to reducing your risk of cancer coming back, there are a lot of lifestyle factors to consider—diet, exercise, sleep—but one that often flies under the radar is alcohol consumption. I truly hate to be the bearer of bad news, but while it may be tempting to believe that the weekly glass of wine or cocktail is harmless, the reality is that alcohol, even in small amounts, can increase your risk of cancer. In fact, the latest research shows that alcohol is classified as a carcinogen, placing it in the same risk category as tobacco and asbestos.

The real question is though - how much is too much, and what does this mean for your health? In this blog post, I’ll break down the science behind alcohol and cancer risk, giving you the facts you need to make informed choices about your long-term health.

The Links Between Alcohol and Cancer

When it comes to reducing your risk of cancer recurrence, understanding how alcohol affects your body is key. When you drink, your body breaks down ethanol into acetaldehyde—a toxic substance that can damage your DNA and is considered a probable carcinogen. On top of that, alcohol generates reactive oxygen species, which further harms your DNA, setting the stage for potential cancer development.

It doesn’t stop there. Alcohol also impairs your ability to absorb essential nutrients like vitamins A, C, D, and E, as well as folate, which all play a critical role in protecting your health. And for women, alcohol can elevate estrogen levels, which has been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. To make matters worse, it can also lead to weight gain, which is another known risk factor for cancer.

Does Drinking Alcohol Increase the Risk of Cancer RECURRENCE?

Here’s where things get a little tricky. While alcohol is a known cancer risk factor for several types of cancers (head and neck, breast, colorectal, esophageal, liver, stomach, and pancreatic), specific research on whether it directly contributes to RECURRENCE is still ongoing. For now, we use the research on how alcohol can increase one's risk of getting cancer in the first place, and apply it to the risk of having a cancer recurrence.

Should You Quit Alcohol For Good?

So, what’s the verdict? Is it safe to drink any amount of alcohol if you’re concerned about cancer coming back? I know this isn’t the most fun news to share, but I have to be honest—there really is no currently known “safe” amount of alcohol when it comes to cancer risk.

According to the World Health Organization, every single time you drink, you’re increasing your risk of cancer. Just like cigarettes and processed meats, there’s no perfectly safe level of alcohol consumption. When you drink alcohol, you’re consuming a known carcinogen, and it’s classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. This is the same category as asbestos, radiation, and tobacco.

Here’s the tricky part: we can’t pinpoint exactly when the risk starts. Even light or moderate drinking can increase your cancer risk, and the latest data from the WHO shows that about half of alcohol-attributable cancers in Europe are caused by drinking less than 1.5 liters of wine or 3.5 liters of beer a week.

To help put some more numbers into perspective, drinking about 3.5 alcoholic drinks a day can double or even triple your risk for cancers of the mouth, throat, and esophagus. It also increases the risk of colorectal and breast cancers by about 1.5 times. Even if you’re having less than one drink a day, women still face a 9% higher risk of breast cancer, and cutting it to just a couple of drinks a week still comes with a 4% increased risk.

Overall, the more often you drink, the higher your risk becomes. The good news? Cutting back helps. If you typically have three drinks a week, reducing it to two can lower your risk.

Most doctors agree that if you're only have a couple of drinks a year, the risk is likely negligible. But drinking weekly is likely not a really good idea if you're digging in deep to reduce your risk of cancer coming back.

Tips to Reduce Alcohol Intake

So, what’s a person to do? Here are some ideas.

1. Don’t drink weekly

2. Get bold and confident in saying no to alcohol

3. Create new habits that don’t involve alcohol

4. Talk to your doctor if you’d like additional support

5. Enjoy creating fancy, non-alcoholic drinks (I’ve included some for you to get started!)

For additional ways to reduce your risk of cancer coming back, be sure to watch my Staying Cancer-Free Workshop, free for the next 10 days! www.FlourishAfterCancer.com/workshopsignup

Cranberry Orange Mocktail (2 servings)

4 Ice Cubes (large)

4 fl ozs Cranberry Juice

1/4 cup Orange Juice

2 tsps Maple Syrup

1 cup Sparkling Water

1/2 cup Frozen Cranberries

1/4 Navel Orange (cut into wedges)

Divide the ice cubes, cranberry juice, orange juice, and maple syrup into glasses. Stir to combine. Top each with sparkling water and cranberries. Garnish with orange slices. Enjoy!

Pomegranate Thyme Mocktail

1/2 cup Pomegranate Juice

2 tsps Maple Syrup

4 Ice Cubes (large)

2 cups Sparkling Water

1/4 cup Pomegranate Seeds

1/2 oz Thyme Sprigs

Divide the pomegranate juice and maple syrup into glasses. Stir to combine. Add the ice then top each with sparkling water and pomegranate seeds. Garnish with thyme. Enjoy!