Alcohol consumption is a major contributor to cancer in Europe, according to a new report from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) cancer research arm, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Experts warn that stronger government action to limit drinking could prevent tens of thousands of cases and deaths each year.
The European Union, which has the highest alcohol consumption rates globally, recorded more than 111,000 new cancer cases in 2020 linked to drinking. Globally, alcohol was responsible for an estimated 741,000 cancer cases that year, with men making up nearly 70% of the total.
The financial impact is also immense. In 2018, premature deaths caused by alcohol-related cancers cost Europe approximately €4.58 billion, according to WHO estimates.
“The WHO European Region, and especially the EU, are paying too high a price for alcohol in preventable cancers and broken families, as well as billions in taxpayer costs,” said Dr. Gundo Weiler, head of prevention and health promotion at WHO Europe. “Some call alcohol a ‘cultural heritage,’ but disease, death, and disability should not be normalised as part of European culture.”
Alcohol and Cancer: The Link
Alcohol was first classified as a carcinogen by IARC in 1988. It is known to increase the risk of at least seven cancers: those of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, liver, colorectum, and female breast.
Researchers believe alcohol promotes cancer through several biological mechanisms, including DNA damage from acetaldehyde (a toxic metabolite of ethanol), oxidative stress, hormonal changes, and disruptions to the gut microbiome.
Reducing or stopping alcohol consumption can significantly lower these risks. Most alcohol-related cancers occur in people who engage in “risky” (two to six drinks per day) or “heavy” drinking (more than six drinks per day). However, even “moderate” drinking—fewer than two drinks daily—was linked to over 100,000 new cancer cases worldwide in 2020.
Preventing Alcohol-Related Cancers
This is the first time IARC has assessed the potential impact of alcohol-related cancer prevention. The agency concluded that policies reducing alcohol consumption lead directly to lower cancer rates.
Proposed measures include higher taxes, minimum pricing, raising the legal drinking age, limiting alcohol retailer density, restricting sales hours, banning marketing, and implementing state-controlled alcohol sales.
A 2021 study cited by IARC found that doubling alcohol excise taxes could have prevented 6% of new alcohol-related cancer cases and deaths in 2019 across the WHO European region.
“Raising awareness about the cancer risks of alcohol and the fact that no level of drinking is safe is critical,” said Dr. Béatrice Lauby-Secretan, deputy head of IARC’s evidence synthesis and classification branch. “Everyone has a role to play in changing the norms and values surrounding alcohol consumption.”
