The research did have some limitations.
“This observational study examined alcohol intake evaluated at a single time point during mid-to-late adulthood and included a limited number of Asian cohorts,” the researchers wrote.
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“Further research is needed to better understand the role of lifetime alcohol consumption — for example, during early adulthood — and the influence of specific consumption patterns, such as binge-drinking.”
Around 75,000 Americans each year are diagnosed with a cancer that is linked in some way to alcohol use, an expert said. (iStock)
Dr. Adam Scioli, an addiction psychiatrist at Caron Treatment Centers in Pennsylvania, previously commented to Fox News Digital that “alcohol is a toxin.”
“There have been reports for years that it could be beneficial for one’s health — but we know now that alcohol ingestion is one of the modifiable risk factors for cancer,” Scioli, who is not affiliated with IARC, told Fox News Digital.
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Dr. Marc Siegel, senior medical analyst for Fox News, was not involved in the study but spoke with Fox News Digital about the findings.
“This is in keeping with alcohol as a toxin that directly inflames and damages pancreatic cells,” he said.
“There have been reports for years that it could be beneficial for one’s health — but we know now that alcohol ingestion is one of the modifiable risk factors for cancer,” an expert said. (iStock)
Around 75,000 Americans each year are diagnosed with a cancer that is in some way linked to alcohol use, according to Scioli.
Dr. Neha Pathak, WebMD’s chief physician editor of health and lifestyle medicine, noted that the study highlights a new, independent risk factor for pancreatic cancer.
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“What’s important to know is that there really isn’t a safe level of drinking when it comes to cancer risk,” Atlanta-based Pathak, who also did not participate in the research, told Fox News Digital.
“This study reinforces that message — but it also shows how complex these links are, and how we need to keep digging deeper into the role of alcohol and different drinking habits in cancer development,” she added.
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Dr. Amanda Berger, Ph.D., senior vice president of Science and Research at the Distilled Spirits Council in Washington, D.C., told Fox News Digital, “the study did not find a statistically significant risk for men or women until drinking exceeded moderation, as defined in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.”
“Further, the study only included people who consume alcohol, so it cannot support claims about the risk for people who drink alcohol compared to those who do not,” she added.
Fox News Digital reached out to several other beverage industry associations requesting comment.
Melissa Rudy of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
