Week 3 Post 1

 Alcohol Use and Cancer

        -preventable risk for cancer 

6% all cancers/4% all cancer deaths

Responsible for cancers of the: mouth, throat, voice box, esophagus, liver, colon, rectum, breast, and stomach. 

More alcohol=More risk

-breast cancer=even small amounts of alcohol increase your risk

• Mouth, throat, voice box, and esophagus: when paired with smoking. Help harmful chemicals in tobacco get inside the cells that line mouth, throat, esophagus. Also, limit how cells repair damage to DNA caused by chemicals in tobacco. 
• Liver: Regular, heavy alcohol lead to inflammation and scarring 
• Colon/Rectal: higher in male
• Breast cancer: raises estrogen levels in the body. Avoid/cut back on alcohol to decrease risk. 
• Ethanol and amount over time=cancer

How does it increase risk: 

• damage to body tissues (irritant; mouth/throat)

-acetaldehyde damages DNA inside cells (shown to cause cancer in animals)

-oxidative stress in cells create more reactive oxygen species

• Effects on other harmful chemicals 

-allows other substances, like tobacco, to enter the lining of the upper digestive tract more easily 

-may slow down body's ability to break down and get rid of some other harmful chemicals

• Absorption of folate and other nutrients

-body needs folate (a vitamin) to stay healthy

• Effects on estrogen/hormones 

-raise levels of estrogen, responsible for growth and development of breast tissue 

• Effects body weight

-Alcohol=calories

Other Alcohol-Related Problems:

• inflammation (hepatitis)
• Heavy scarring (cirrhosis)
• Damage to:

-pancreas

-brain

-raise blood pressure

• Increase risk of heart attack and stroke

No more than 1 drink a day for women/2 for men. (Women break down alcohol more slowly). 

• Increased risk of cancer recurrence...doctor would address this. 

Alcohol Use and Your Health

• Excessive drinking=88,000 deaths/year(US)/ Shortens life for those by almost 30 years.
• Cost economy= $249 billion (2010)

MOST EXCESSIVE USERS ARE NOT ALCOHOL DEPENDENT!

A drink=12 oz beer, 8 oz malt liquor, 5 oz wine, 1.5 oz distilled spirit

EXCESSIVE MEANS:

Binge drinking:                                                      Heavy Drinking:

Women=4+ on one occasion                                 Women=8+/week

Men=5+ one occasion                                            Men=15+/week

Any alcohol while pregnant                                  Any alcohol under age of 21. 

Short-Term Risks:                                                  Long-Term Risk: 

Injuries                                                                   Chronic Diseases

Violence                                                                 Cancers

Poisoning                                                               Learning/Memory

Reproductive Health                                              Mental Health

                                                                               Social Problems

                                                                               Alcohol Dependence