ALCOHOL is the common term for ethanol or ethyl alcohol, a chemical substance found in beer, wine, and liquor, as well as in some medicines, mouthwashes, household products, and essential oils, which are scented liquids taken from plants.

Alcohol is produced through the fermentation of sugars and starches by yeast.

Based on extensive reviews of research studies, there is a strong scientific consensus of an association between alcohol drinking and several types of cancer.

Alcohol abuse, which is defined as more than 21 standard drinks in one week, is the second-largest risk factor for the development of oral cancer. Oral and pharyngeal cancer risk is almost tripled in alcohol drinkers who currently smoke tobacco, while it is 32 per cent higher in alcohol drinkers who do not currently smoke.

Clear patterns have emerged between alcohol consumption and the development of the following types of cancer:

• Head and neck cancer: Alcohol consumption is a major risk factor for certain head and neck cancers, particularly cancers of the oral cavity, excluding the lips, pharynx throat, and larynx voice box.

People who consume 50 or more grams of alcohol per day, approximately 3.5 or more drinks per day have at least a two to three times greater risk of developing these cancers than non-drinkers. Moreover, the risks of these cancers are substantially higher among people who consume alcohol at this rate and also use tobacco.

• Esophageal cancer: Alcohol consumption is a major risk factor for a particular type of esophageal cancer called esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Additionally, people who inherit a deficiency in an enzyme that metabolises alcohol have been found to have substantially increased risks of alcohol-related esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

HOW DOES ALCOHOL INCREASE THE RISK OF CANCER?

Researchers have identified multiple ways that alcohol may increase the risk of cancer, including:

1. Metabolising or breaking down ethanol in alcoholic drinks to acetaldehyde, which is a toxic chemical and a probable human carcinogen. Acetaldehyde can damage both deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA – the genetic material that makes up genes) and proteins.

2. Generating reactive oxygen species (chemically reactive molecules that contain oxygen) which can damage DNA, proteins, and lipids or fats through a process called oxidation

3. Impairing the body’s ability to break down and absorb a variety of nutrients that may be associated with cancer risk, including vitamin A, nutrients in the vitamin B complex such as folate, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, and carotenoids

4. Increasing blood levels of oestrogen, a sex hormone linked to the risk of breast cancer.

Alcoholic beverages may also contain a variety of carcinogenic contaminants that are introduced during fermentation and production, such as nitrosamines, asbestos fibres, phenols, and hydrocarbons.

Dr Sharon Robinson DDS has offices at the Dental Place Cosmetix Spa located at Shop #5, Winchester Business Centre, 15 Hope Road, Kingston 10. Dr Robinson is an adjunct lecturer at the University of Technology, Jamaica, School of Oral Health Sciences. She may be contacted at 630-4710, or you may visit the website www.dentalplace4u.com.