SACRAMENTO, Calif. — According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, less than a third of American adults know about the link between alcohol and cancer.
The organization said it is pushing for warning labels on alcohol packaging to help raise awareness of the link.
When alcohol metabolizes in the body, it can change your DNA, which in turn can lead to cancer growth. ABC10 Health Expert Dr. Payal Kohli said she talks to patients almost everyday about unhealthy drinking behavior.
"They think about it just as a social event, something that they do with their friends or family at dinner time. They don't even understand that alcohol is one of the biggest modifiable risk factors for cancer, and for multiple types of cancer," Kohli said. "Whether it's you know, wine, or beer, or hard liquor, the more alcohol content in something, of course, the higher the risk that it carries. But, we also think that one of the mechanisms by which it increases the risk is not necessarily directly just the amount of alcohol it has, but also the calories that it has and all those calories can contribute to obesity, and contribute to diabetes, and high blood pressure."
That leads to the question of how much is okay and how much puts you in danger. Kohli said for cancers of the esophagus and breast, even one drink can increase your risk.
"I would say you really have to ask yourself how much you love drinking alcohol, and if it's something that you absolutely love, then you want to make sure you drink it in moderation, which is less than a drink a day for women, and less than two drinks a day for men," Kohli said. "Now that's a general rule of thumb, it can vary depending on your body size, depending on your medical risk factors, depending on what other medical problems you have, and it's all types of alcohol that can really increase that risk."
ABC10: Watch, Download, Read
Watch more from ABC10