MONDAY, April 19, 2004 (HealthDayNews) -- People who drink more than three glasses of wine, beer or liquor a day may increase their risk of colorectal cancer by 40 percent.
That's the claim of a Brigham and Women's Hospital study in the April 20 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Consuming two average-size alcoholic drinks a day was associated with a small increased risk for colorectal cancer.
In this study, researchers analyzed data from eight studies that tracked nearly half a million people for up to 16 years. This new study is one of the largest to show that any kind of alcohol can influence a person's risk of colorectal cancer.
"The alcohol debate can certainly be a confusing one for patients, especially given alcohol's apparent protective effect on heart disease," study author Eunyoung Cho said in a prepared statement.
"Examining how alcohol is associated with other diseases like colorectal cancer is helpful for patients trying to balance the healthful effects of alcohol against the potential risks," Cho said.
More information
The U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has information about alcohol and heart disease.
