Published: 17:07 BST, 3 September 2026 | Updated: 21:15 BST, 3 September 2026
Deaths from multiple cancers linked to alcohol have surged in the past several decades, new research shows.
Experts believe when the body breaks down alcohol, it creates a toxic chemical called acetaldehyde that destroys healthy cells and results in a prime environment for cancer cells to thrive.
As a result, alcohol is considered a Group 1 carcinogen, meaning there is sufficient evidence that the drink causes cancer.
Recent evidence has increasingly sounded the alarm on alcohol's potential link to colon, liver and stomach cancers, especially as these diseases soar in young Americans.
Now, Florida researchers have urgently warned that alcohol-related cancer deaths are on the rise throughout the US.
Using 33 years' worth of health data from thousands of Americans, the team found alcohol-attributable cancer deaths in the US doubled from about 11,400 in 1990 to 23,100 in 2023.
And among adults under 55, colon and breast cancers were the leading alcohol-related cancer deaths, with esophageal, prostate and pancreatic cancers also seeing unprecedented growth.
The researchers believe the findings show alcohol is becoming one of the most prominent modifiable risk factors in reducing cancer rates, particularly in younger Americans.
Alcohol-related cancer deaths have doubled in the last three decades, a new study warns
'The most surprising finding was the breadth of alcohol’s potential impact across cancer types,' Dr Chinmay Jani, corresponding study author and chief fellow in hematology and oncology at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in Miami, said.
'Although its relationship with liver cancer is widely recognized, its contribution to cancers such as colorectal, esophageal, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancer is less well understood by the public.'
The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans urges adults to 'consume less alcohol for better overall health.' Previous guidelines suggested men have less than two drinks per day while women have one.
The new study, published in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas, looked at cancer death rates and alcohol-related cancer death rates between 1990 and 2023 for 10 different forms of cancer: esophageal, stomach, liver, larynx, breast, prostate, colorectal, lip and oral cavity, pharynx and pancreatic.
The researchers used statistical modeling to calculate which deaths were related to alcohol-consumption.
