Doctors are sounding the alarm over research showing a link between drinking alcohol and cancer. More than 700,000 new cancer cases were linked to alcohol consumption in 2020 — a time when many Americans reported drinking more.
“Alcohol is an irritant. It irritates the lining of our mouth, of our throat, of our stomach. As our body tries to heal, sometimes it heals in abnormal ways that can lead to the very beginnings of cancer,” said Dr. David Odell, a thoracic surgeon at Northwestern Medicine.
Three-quarters of alcohol-related cancers were diagnosed in men. Most of those cases were liver and esophageal cancers. Breast cancer was most common among women.
The new findings come as alcohol consumption has spiked during the pandemic. Almost two-thirds of Americans surveyed last year said their drinking had increased.
A dear friend of mine, a retired Delta Force medic, died a horrible death by esophageal cancer, which took six years to kill him. He went from 180 pounds to 95. He admitted that it was his love of bourbon that did him in.
Is this a pandemic? Should we wear masks?