Cancer Deaths Double in Maine Residents Who Do This

Even though we can all agree that cancer is no laughing matter, we often hear people joking that "these days, everything causes cancer."

It does feel true, though.  Every few days, we hear about another food, food additive, or activity that has been shown to cause cancer.

Considering spending time in the sun, smoking, and eating well-done meat have all been linked to increased cancer risks, it should not be a big surprise that drinking excess amounts of alcohol has also been known to cause cancer.

Alcohol is a Known Carcinogen

According to a recent article on the Moffitt Cancer Center website, alcohol has been considered a cancer-causing beverage since 1987.  It is believed that more than 5% of diagnosed cancers were caused by the patient drinking to excess.

Epidemiologist Kathleen Egan says:

About 75,000 Americans each year are diagnosed with cancer that is linked in some way to alcohol use. The more someone drinks both in volume and frequency, the higher the risk. When we drink, our bodies break down alcohol into acetaldehyde, a known carcinogen that can damage DNA. That damaged DNA can create mutations that can cause cancer.

 

The Department of Health & Human Services recently published a document that details the four ways that alcohol can cause cancer.  You can read the document HERE

According to an article in the New York Post, alcohol-related cancer deaths in the United States have more than doubled in the last two decades.  As of 2025, there are about 100,000 new cases of alcohol-related cancer diagnosed in the United States each year.  Additionally, there are about 20,000 alcohol-related cancer deaths each year.

The problem has gotten so bad that the U.S. Surgeon General is now suggesting that bottles of alcohol should have a warning letting purchasers know that the product causes cancer.  The warnings would appear similar to those that are on packs of cigarettes.

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