acetaldehyde

Does drinking alcohol cause cancer? Learn about the risks

Source: www.mskcc.org Author: Jim Stallard, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center The public is largely unaware of the link between alcohol consumption and increased cancer risk. Mixed messages from experts may have added to the confusion. There is strong and consistent evidence that drinking alcohol increases your risk of developing a cancer, based on a growing body of research. Alcohol is estimated to account for 6% of cancer cases in the U.S. — more than 75,000 per year — and nearly 19,000 cancer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society. Alcohol is the third biggest controllable risk factor for the disease, after tobacco smoking and excess weight. But most Americans aren’t aware of this link, thanks to seemingly contradictory research and mixed messaging from public health experts. A study published in 2023 found widespread mistaken beliefs that the risk varies by beverage type, with the lowest cancer risk assigned to wine. Another study published in 2021 showed that nearly 70% of people did not even know that alcohol was a cancer risk factor. It’s disturbing that most people aren’t aware of the connection,” says Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) psychologist Jennifer Hay, PhD, who studies how people perceive various cancer risks. “It’s startling, given that many members of the general population are genuinely concerned about their cancer risks. We clearly have a lot of work to do to raise awareness and change the perception.” More cancers could be prevented, she says, if people fully understood the risks of [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2024-01-04T09:57:07-07:00January, 2024|Oral Cancer News|

Dry January might help reduce your risk of cancer

Source: www.iflscience.com Author: Holly Large, Editorial Assistant If one of your New Year’s resolutions happens to be staying sober, scientists at the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have some good news for you: not drinking alcohol, or even just cutting back on the bevs, can reduce your risk of some cancers. There’s already evidence to suggest that alcohol consumption can increase the risk of some cancers; according to WHO estimates, more than 740,000 global cancer cases in 2020 were caused by alcohol use. But as report author Farhad Islami told STAT News, “[W]e wanted to know, what if people stop drinking?” Islami was part of a group of 15 scientists investigating the impact of reducing or ceasing alcohol intake on cancer risk, reviewing over 90 published studies over the course of four months. From this data, the team discovered that there was sufficient evidence to suggest that cutting back on alcohol could be linked to a reduced risk of oral and oesophageal cancers. There was also limited evidence of a reduction in risk for laryngeal, colorectal, and breast cancers. One of the key contributors to risk, the researchers found, was a toxin called acetaldehyde. Also known as ethanal, acetaldehyde is produced by the breakdown of alcohol in the liver. It plays a role in nasty hangovers and, as the studies suggested, increases someone’s risk of cancer. Drinking less alcohol reduces exposure to such a carcinogen and thus, the risks that come with it. In [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2024-01-03T07:40:47-07:00January, 2024|Oral Cancer News|

Going sober beyond Dry January will help you avoid cancer: study

Source: themessenger.com Author: Mansur Shaheen More than half of 18- to 34-year-olds believe drinking in moderation is bad for your health. Getty Images Having a Dry January may feel great, but going sober forever could significantly drop your risk of developing multiple types of cancer, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) study. In a massive meta-analysis of 91 studies, published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers found long term sobriety could significantly reduce risk of oral or esophageal cancer. They also found relatively small and inconclusive drops in larynx, colorectal or breast cancer risk. The WHO considers alcohol a carcinogen, saying that “when it comes to alcohol consumption, there is no safe amount that does not affect health.” It says that even light use of alcohol is linked to an increased risk of a host of diseases, including cancer, liver issues, Alzheimer’s and more. On the flip side, quitting alcohol can help a person reduce their risk of developing disease. In the new study, the WHO researchers found that people who stopped drinking for five to nine years were 34% less likely to develop oral cancer. If they kept it up for 10 to 19 years, the risk would drop 55%. For esophageal cancer, the risk drops 15% after going sober for five to nine years, and 65% for 10 to 19 years. The researchers blame the cancers linked to alcohol consumption on ethanol, a type of alcohol. When the body consumes [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2023-12-30T11:26:11-07:00December, 2023|Oral Cancer News|

Sorry, but vaping is wreaking havoc on your oral health

Source: www.bodyandsoul.com.au Author: Jaymie Hooper To mark the start of Dental Health Week, oral medicine specialist Dr Sue Ching Yeoh explains the hidden dangers of vaping – and why it's time to quit. No matter which way you slice it, vaping is just not very good for you. Not only has it been shown to cause an onset of seizures, it’s also been linked to numerous deaths, and vaping liquids containing nicotine are so troubling they were recently banned in Australia. The bad press doesn’t end there, either. While we usually associate tooth decay and gum disease with cigarettes, vaping can also take a significant toll on your oral health. According to Dr Sue Ching Yeoh, an oral medicine specialist and spokesperson for the Australian Dental Association, vaping also changes the composition and balance of your oral flora (bacteria and fungal organisms that live in your mouth), which leads to an increased risk of oral fungal infections. “The most common oral side effects from vaping include dry mouth, burning, irritation, bad taste, bad breath, pain, oral mucosal lesions (lesions that affect the soft lining of the mouth), black tongue and burns,” Dr Yeoh explains. These side effects are a result of the chemicals used in vaping liquids, which are usually created by heating glycerol, glycol and nicotine to extremely high temperatures under intense pressure. “This process produces extremely toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, which are known carcinogens," Dr Yeoh adds. “As the mouth is the first site in [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2022-08-01T11:19:33-07:00August, 2022|Oral Cancer News|

Can even moderate drinking increase the risk of cancer?

Source: www.theguardian.com Author: Luisa Dillner Alcohol may be a social lubricant but WHO and Public Health England say it can cause cancer. Last week the alcohol industry was accused of downplaying the link between alcohol and the increased risk of seven cancers: mouth, throat, oesophagus, liver, breast and colon. A research paper in Drug and Alcohol Review found that “responsible drinking” information funded by the alcohol industry tends to push the message that only heavy drinking increases the risk of these cancers. But the paper says the risk starts with low levels of drinking, even though the risk itself is low. So is the recommended number of alcohol units a week – 14 – too high? The solution Even less than 1.5 units a day – a small glass of wine – can increase the risk of mouth, throat, oesophagus and breast cancer (in women), according to a UK government committee. While the toll of heavy drinking on the liver and pancreas is well known, the link to cancers, especially breast and colorectal, is less so. There are more than 100 epidemiology studies showing an association between breast cancer and alcohol, the risk increasing with less than one daily glass of wine. Research at Harvard found that while light to moderate drinking was not significantly associated with an increased risk for men (unless they smoked), it did increase the risk of breast cancer for women. Edward L Giovannucci, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health and [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2017-10-02T10:30:20-07:00October, 2017|Oral Cancer News|

Researchers explain link between alcohol, cancer risk

Source: Dr.Bicuspid.com September 4, 2012 -- Almost 30 years after discovery of a link between alcohol consumption and certain forms of cancer, scientists are reporting the first evidence from research on people explaining how the popular beverage may be carcinogenic. The findings were reported August 22 during the American Chemical Society annual meeting in Philadelphia. The human body metabolizes the alcohol in beer, wine, and hard liquor into several substances, including acetaldehyde, a substance with a chemical backbone that resembles formaldehyde -- a known human carcinogen, according to lead author Silvia Balbo, PhD, a research associate at the University of Minnesota. "We now have the first evidence from living human volunteers that acetaldehyde formed after alcohol consumption damages DNA dramatically," Balbo stated in a press release. "Acetaldehyde attaches to DNA in humans in a way that results in the formation of a 'DNA adduct.' It's acetaldehyde that latches onto DNA and interferes with DNA activity in a way linked to an increased risk of cancer." To test the hypothesis that acetaldehyde causes DNA adducts to form in humans, Balbo and colleagues gave 10 volunteers increasing doses of vodka (comparable to one, two, and three drinks) once a week for three weeks. They found that levels of a key DNA adduct increased up to 100-fold in the subjects' oral cells within hours after each dose, then declined about 24 hours later. Adduct levels in blood cells also rose. "These findings tell us that alcohol, a lifestyle carcinogen, is metabolized into acetaldehyde [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-09-05T09:14:48-07:00September, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Vitamin B veggies cut risk of mouth cancer

Source: www.dentistry.co.uk Author: staff Women who consume high volumes of folic acid found in vitamin B from vegetables and some fruits are less likely to suffer from mouth cancer. A sample of 87,000 nurses were followed for 30 years from 1976 by researchers from the Columbia University Medical Centre and Harvard School of Public Health. Women who drank a high volume of alcohol and had low folic acid intake were three times more likely to develop mouth cancer than those who drank high volumes of alcohol but had high volumes of folic acid in their diet. Alcohol is one of the major risk factors for mouth cancer and those who drink to excess are four times more likely to be diagnosed. This is the first time that folic acid intake has been shown to affect the risk of the disease. Alcohol leads to a reduction in folic acid metabolism by creating acetaldehyde which leads to a reduction of folic acid in the body. Chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, Dr Nigel Carter, said: 'Rates of mouth cancer in women have been increasing for many years as a result of changed social habits with more women smoking and drinking. 'This new research could offer a method to reduce this by looking at the folic acid intake and increasing fruit and vegetables containing folic acid in the diet. “In the past studies have tended to focus on males, as they are twice as likely to suffer from the disease. While [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2012-05-20T17:52:11-07:00May, 2012|Oral Cancer News|

Alcohol’s hidden effects revealed in new National Health Service campaign

Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com Author: staff A new 6 million pound NHS campaign to reveal alcohol's hidden effects warns people of the unseen damage caused by regularly drinking more than the advised limits and highlights drinkers' affected organs while they sup their drink in the pub or at home. The campaign was launched recently by Public Health Minister, Gillian Merron. It forms part of a government-wide strategy to tackle the harmful effects of alcohol and is backed by major health charities. Merron said in a press statement that: "Many of us enjoy a drink - drinking sensibly isn't a problem." But, she warned that: "If you're regularly drinking more than the NHS recommended limits, you're more likely to get cancer, have a stroke or have a heart attack." The Department of Health developed the campaign with Cancer Research UK, the British Heart Foundation and the Stroke Association. Part of it entails showing a series of strong messages on TV, in the press and outdoor posters, showing how much harm drinking more than the NHS advised daily limit can do to your body. In the TV campaign, one advert of three men drinking in a pub, shows one of them with a semi-transparent body, and as he sups his beer, different organs are highlighted to show which parts the narrator, who is explaining the risks of drinking alcohol, is talking about (for example, when high blood pressure is mentioned, the heart becomes more visible). The NHS advises that women should drink no more [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-03-01T18:58:24-07:00March, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Finnish firm to market cancer-prevention capsule

Source: www.google.com/hostednews/afp/ Author: staff Finnish medical biotechnology group Biohit said Monday it had developed a capsule that could help prevent stomach and throat cancer by neutralising the cancer-causing compound acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is produced from alcohol and sugar by microbes in the mouth. The gastric acid of a healthy stomach generally kills these microbes, but they can survive in an acid-free stomach and continue to produce acetaldehyde there. "It is clear that acetaldehyde is a class one carcinogenic, or a cancer-causing factor of the worst kind, and it is clear that an acid-free stomach is a risk factor for stomach cancer," Biohit chief executive Osmo Suovaniemi told AFP. He said the capsule, developed by Biohit in collaboration with researchers from the University of Helsinki, neutralised acetaldehyde when taken with meals or alcohol and could, therefore, help prevent the development of cancer. "How many cancer cases it may prevent in the future remains to be seen," Suovaniemi said, adding it would take years to determine the capsule's cancer-preventing impact. Suovaniemi said the drug had received the approval of medical authorities after undergoing clinical testing. Biohit aims to make the over-the-counter capsules available in Finnish pharmacies during the first half of this year and to start marketing them internationally during 2011 at the latest.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-01-13T14:48:49-07:00January, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Using mouthwash could increase risk of cancer by nine times, claim scientists

Source: news.scotsman.com Author: Shan Ross Mouthwashes containing alcohol can cause oral cancer and should be removed from supermarket shelves, a dental health study claims. Scientists say there is now "sufficient evidence" that such mouthwashes contribute to an increased risk of the disease. The ethanol in mouthwash is thought to allow cancer-causing substances to permeate the lining of the mouth. Michael McCullough, associate professor of oral medicine at the University of Melbourne, Australia, who led the study, said: "We see people with oral cancer who have no other risk factors than the use of (mouthwash containing alcohol], so what we've done is review all the evidence. "Since this article, further evidence has come out, too. We believe there should be warnings. If it was a facial cream that had the effect of reducing acne but had a four to fivefold increased risk of skin cancer, no-one would be recommending it." Professor McCullough, chair of the Australian Dental Association's therapeutics committee, said the alcohol in mouthwashes "increases the permeability" of the mucus membrane to other carcinogens, such as nicotine. A toxic breakdown product of alcohol called acetaldehyde that may accumulate in the oral cavity when swished around the mouth is also a "known human carcinogen," he said. Top-selling mouthwashes contain as much as 26 per cent alcohol. Smoking and alcohol are well-established risk factors in causing cancer, but the use of mouthwash containing alcohol is more controversial. Prof McCullough and co- author Dr Camile Farah, director of research at the University of [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-01-14T07:24:27-07:00January, 2009|Oral Cancer News|