Regular Intake of Alcholic Beverages Increases Skin Cancer Risks

Regular intake of alcohol is a well-known cause of various types of illnesses but a recent study confirms that it specifically increases skin cancer risks.

Those who drink alcohol regularly could increase their risk by up to half of developing melanoma, the most deadly type of skin cancer which affects many young people. Those who had less than one drink per day are at a ten percent increased risk compared with non-drinkers or occasional drinkers. On the other hand, moderate drinkers, who consumed two drinks a day, had an 18 percent higher change of melanoma. Drinkers who are used to consuming at least four drinks a day --- were at a 55 percent higher risk, according to the researchers.

A single drink is estimated at 12.5 grams of alcohol or an equivalent of 1.56 units of a glass of wine or half a pint of strong beer. Scientists suggest the extra cancer risk may also be due to people's inability to protect themselves against the sun while they are drinking. Alcohol, they say, also causes biological changes that makes skin more sensitive to light and may aggravate the impact of exposure to ultraviolet light.

Dr. Eva Negri, one of the authors of the study, from the University of Milan, said: "We know that in the presence of UV radiation, drinking alcohol can alter the body's immunocompetence, the ability to produce a normal immune response. This could lead to far greater cellular damage and subsequently cause skin cancers to form. This study aimed to quantify the extent to which the melanoma risk is increased with alcohol intake, and we hoe that armed with this knowledge, people can  better protect themselves in the sun."