Alcohol consumption is a major contributor to cancer in Europe, according to a new report from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Experts say that stronger government action to reduce alcohol use could prevent thousands of new cancer cases and deaths each year.
The European Union, identified as the world’s heaviest-drinking region, recorded over 111,000 new alcohol-related cancer cases in 2020. Globally, alcohol was linked to an estimated 741,000 cancer cases, with men accounting for nearly 70% of them.
The financial burden is also significant. WHO reported that premature deaths from alcohol-related cancers cost Europe €4.58 billion in 2018.
“The WHO European Region, and especially EU countries, are paying too high a price for alcohol in preventable cancers and broken families, as well as billions in public 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 normalized as part of European culture.”
Alcohol and Cancer Risk
IARC has classified alcohol as a carcinogen since 1988. It increases the risk of at least seven types of cancer, including those of the mouth, throat, larynx, oesophagus, liver, colon, and breast.
Researchers say alcohol contributes to cancer development by altering hormone levels, changing the gut microbiome, and damaging DNA through oxidative stress and acetaldehyde, a toxic byproduct of alcohol metabolism.
Reducing or eliminating alcohol intake lowers the risk of developing these cancers. While “risky” and “heavy” drinking are responsible for most alcohol-related cancers, even moderate consumption—fewer than two drinks per day—caused more than 100,000 new cases worldwide in 2020.
Prevention Through Policy
The latest IARC review is the first to assess the potential benefits of preventing alcohol-related cancers. It confirms that population-level policies to reduce alcohol consumption effectively lower cancer risk.
The agency recommends measures such as increasing taxes, setting minimum prices, raising the legal drinking age, limiting alcohol outlet density, reducing sales hours, banning alcohol marketing, and implementing state-controlled alcohol sales.
Evidence shows these policies work. A 2021 study found that doubling alcohol excise taxes could have prevented 6% of new alcohol-related cancer cases and deaths in 2019 in the WHO European Region.
“Raising awareness about alcohol’s link to cancer—and the fact that no level of drinking is safe—is essential,” said Dr. Béatrice Lauby-Secretan, deputy head of IARC’s Evidence Synthesis and Classification Branch. “Everyone has a role in changing the social norms and values around alcohol consumption.”
