Alcohol cutbacks could reduce cancer deaths
NEW research has found that reducing alcohol consumption per capita would lead to a reduction in cancer deaths in Australia.
The study found there would be a significant preventive effect on liver, head and neck cancer deaths, particularly among men and older age groups as a result.
Published by the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research and Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education, the report – Alcohol consumption and liver, pancreatic, head and neck cancers in Australia: Time-series analyses – provides the first suggestive evidence that a decrease in population level drinking could reduce the prevalence of liver, head and neck cancer mortality.
The long-term use of alcohol has long been recognised as a risk factor for cancer, and the relationship has been widely addressed in individual-level studies. But the relationship of alcohol consumption and cancer mortality at a population level has rarely been examined.
The study revealed that across a 20-year period, a one-litre decrease in annual alcohol consumption per capita was associated with reductions of 11.6% in male and 7.3% in female head and neck cancer mortality, and a 15% reduction in male liver cancer mortality.
CAPR deputy director Dr Michael Livingston says the results suggest a change in alcohol consumption per capita is significantly and positively associated with change in male liver cancer mortality.
“Alcohol is a major contributor to Australia’s burden of disease,” he said.