Researchers from Seoul National University College of Medicine (SNUCM) found that frequently consuming small amounts of alcohol increased the risk of developing gastric cancer.
The study, led by Professor Kang Dae-hee, investigated 128,218 healthy middle-aged Korean adults aged 40 to 69 who participated in a community-based large-scale prospective study between 2004 and 2013. Then, the research team identified a total of 847 gastric cancer patients including 462 males and 385 females during an 8.6-year follow-up period.
The amount of pure alcohol intake in grams was assessed according to the World Health Organization standard for low-risk drinking in men at 40 g/day. When this cohort was divided into a drinking group and a non-drinking group, it was observed that the risk of gastric cancer in the drinking group was 31 percent higher in the male group than in the non-drinking group. However, no significant association was found among the female group studied.
According to the researchers, even a small amount of drinking, which is considered to have a low cancer risk, was a factor that significantly increased the risk of gastric cancer if continued. The researchers estimated that even small amounts of alcohol less than 40 grams of alcohol per day, consumed five or more times a week, increased the risk of gastric cancer by 46 percent.
The paper further explained that repeated and chronic alcohol exposure permanently damages the DNA of gastric mucosal cells because acetaldehyde, an alcohol metabolite, inhibits the DNA repair process. Consequently, this mechanism of action results in an increased risk of gastric cancer by inhibiting the repair process of damaged DNA.
Furthermore, chronic and excessive alcohol consumption promotes the formation of reactive oxygen species in the gastrointestinal tract leading to the activation of carcinogens such as nitrosamines, the researchers said.
"Our study revealed for the first time that drinking even small amounts of alcohol frequently can increase the risk of gastric cancer," Kang said. "Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of giving the body enough time to break down alcohol to prevent permanent damage.”
The results of this study were published in the latest issue of the international scientific journal Cancer Biology & Medicine.