By Sandee LaMotte (CNN). Alcohol may play a greater role in death from numerous types of cancers in the United States than previously known, according to a new study. "While it's true that overall cancer mortality has declined, we found the percentage of cancer deaths proportionally attributable to alcohol rose over 58% in people 20 and older over the last 33 years," said first author Dr. Chinmay Jani.
The increased risk of death applies to breast, prostate, colon, rectum, stomach, pancreatic and liver cancers, as well as cancers of the head and neck. Among adults aged 20 to 54, colorectal cancer was the leading alcohol-attributable cancer killer in men and second in women; in women overall the leading cause was alcohol-related breast cancer. It didn't take much alcohol to raise risk—about one standard drink a day, every day.
(In January, the Trump administration removed the old federal limits of two drinks/day for men and one for women, instead advising people to "consume less alcohol for better overall health.") The Distilled Spirits Council disputed that "no safe level" is supported by the study. How alcohol contributes: it alters hormone levels including estrogen (key to the breast-cancer link); the liver breaks ethanol down into acetaldehyde, a "probable human carcinogen" that can damage DNA and interfere with DNA repair; alcohol contributes to oxidative stress; weakens mouth and throat cells making them more susceptible to carcinogens (worse with smoking); and interferes with breakdown/absorption of vitamins A, C, D, E and folates.
The study, published in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas, analyzed three decades of US Global Burden of Disease data: between 1990 and 2023, yearly alcohol-linked cancer deaths more than doubled (11,361 → 23,126). Men and adults 55+ were most affected; for women of any age and men under 55 it takes less alcohol to raise cancer risk. Up to one-fourth of head and neck cancers have alcohol as a preventable risk factor.
"While our study does not have the data to show you should completely stop drinking alcohol, the message we want to deliver is that lowering your alcohol use to the lowest possible level will be best for your health." (Source: edition.cnn.com/2026/09/03/health/alcohol-impact-cancer-deaths-wellness)
