23 Alcohol and Cancer.mp3: Audio automatically transcribed by Sonix
23 Alcohol and Cancer.mp3: this mp3 audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.
Speaker1:
Welcome to the Cancer Secrets podcast. Changing the Cancer Paradigm. Hosted by Dr. Jonathan Steagall, a medical doctor and cancer specialist practicing in Atlanta, Georgia, deeply affected by his grandmother's death from stomach cancer, as well as patients he cared for in medical training, he realized there has to be a better way to treat cancer. Dr. Stegall has a unique and innovative approach to treating cancer called integrative oncology, combining modern medicine with alternative therapies personalized to each patient. This podcast is designed to educate, support and give you a positive voice you can trust. We invite you to join us on this journey as we seek to change the cancer paradigm.
Speaker2:
Hi. This is Dr. Stegall. I'm so glad you're enjoying the Cancer Secrets podcast. Do you have a question you would like answered in a future episode? If so, please go to Cancer Secrets dot com and click on podcast at the top of the page. Look for the tab on the right side of the page that says Send voice mail. You can record your question straight from your smartphone or computer with your question. Be sure to tell us your first name, where you're from, and why you listen to the show. I will choose from the best questions and answer them on the air. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Hello and welcome back to the Cancer Secrets podcast. I'm your host, Doctor Jonathan Seagal. This is season two and episode number 23. In today's episode, we're going to discuss the relationship between alcohol and cancer. Now, you might not think this is a particularly interesting topic, but I do believe it's a very important one, as alcohol consumption has been shown to increase the risk of developing multiple types of cancer. I think this is an important topic because most of us don't think about alcohol as a risk factor for cancer. As always, we encourage you to listen with a loved one or friend. Learning and enjoying the show with a community will be more impactful than doing so alone. So let's talk about booze. I'm guessing that most of you listening have probably consumed alcohol at some point in your life, and many of you probably consume alcohol regularly, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
Speaker2:
86.4% of people ages 18 or older reported that they drank alcohol at some point in their lifetime, and 70.1% of those surveyed reported that they drank alcohol within the past year. Moreover, 56% reported that they drank in the last month. And as we all know, alcohol has been consumed for thousands of years. And we know there are various forms of alcohol, including beer, wine and hard liquor, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. A standard alcoholic drink in the United States contains 14 grams of pure alcohol. This corresponds to 0.6 ounces. Now, generally, this amount of pure alcohol is found in 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine, and about 1.5 ounces of hard liquor. This is important to define because many people will say, I had a drink or I had a few drinks. But many times they're probably having more than that because they're having a large glass. We've all seen the funny pictures online of someone saying they're only going to have one glass of wine and then they're holding a huge glass that's the size of their head. So knowing what constitutes a drink is important to know. Now, the question you're probably thinking is How much can I drink without increasing my risk of cancer? The American Institute for Cancer Research recommends not drinking at all if you want to reduce your risk of cancer formation as much as possible.
Speaker2:
However, they go on to say that if you do drink, that you should limit it to no more than two drinks per day for men and no more than one drink per day for women. And although alcohol itself is not labeled a carcinogen, it has been shown in multiple studies to increase the risk of developing cancer. Interestingly, the types of cancer linked to alcohol consumption include head and neck cancer, esophageal cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic cancer and prostate cancer. In addition, research is also fairly conclusive that alcohol consumption increases the risk of melanoma as well. Interestingly, there are several cancers which have not been found to be associated with alcohol consumption. These include ovarian cancer, stomach cancer, uterine cancer and bladder cancer. For these cancers, studies have either shown no association with alcohol use or the results have been inconsistent with alcohol use. Now, what I find particularly interesting is that alcohol consumption has actually been shown to decrease risk of kidney cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and this actually was seen in multiple studies. So you might be asking why alcohol increases the risk of multiple cancers. And there are a few theories scientists have as to why. One theory is that alcohol generates what are known as reactive oxygen species. You may see these abbreviated rows if you're reading a study or looking online. Reactive oxygen species, as we know, can damage DNA as well as proteins and fats. And when this damage occurs, the process known as oxidation happens and that damage is otherwise healthy cells and can make them more susceptible to mutations, which of course we know as cancer.
Speaker2:
Another theory is that alcohol itself is not carcinogenic, but that one of the metabolic products of alcohol being digested in the body is and that that breakdown product is known as Acetaldehyde. And Acetaldehyde is we know is toxic and has been found to be a probable human carcinogen. And so it may be the fact that the way the body has to break down alcohol is what's doing the cancer causing rather than the the alcohol itself. Another theory is that alcohol causes cancer due to the way it increases levels of estrogen in the body. Now, this would make more sense to me if the increased cancer risk was only found in hormone related cancers such as breast cancer and ovarian cancer and uterine cancer. But as we see, the increased cancer risk from alcohol consumption is not just with hormone related cancers, but many cancers that are not hormone driven. And one final theory on alcohol's relationship to cancer is that it actually impairs the body's ability to digest and absorb various nutrients. In these include vitamin A, the various B, vitamins such as niacin, riboflavin, folate, methyl cobalamin, vitamin C, vitamins D and E and other vitamins and minerals as well. So that's a really interesting theory that I think certainly might be the case, especially with people who are very heavy drinkers. You think about someone who drinks so heavily that their their nutritional status is compromised.
Speaker2:
This theory would definitely seem to make sense. And one additional theory related to alcohol causing cancer relates to carcinogenic contaminants that occur in the production process. So if you think about alcohol, you know, the fermentation process, there are some contaminants that can can be introduced in that process before it becomes available to the public. These are things like asbestos hydrocarbons, nitrosamines, which you may have heard of in a chemical group called Phenols as well. So there are several theories out there. As you can see, it's probably due to a combination of all of these these theories as to why alcohol consumption increases the risk of cancer. Are you feeling overwhelmed by all the information you've received from your oncologist, chiropractor, nutritionist, herbalist, acupuncturist, guru and friends as well as what you've read online? If you're like most people, you are more confused than ever when it comes to cancer. Hi, this is Dr. Jonathan Stegall, medical doctor and specialist in integrative oncology. And I want to tell you about my new best selling book, Cancer Secrets. This book is packed with valuable information you need to know about. I'm an open minded skeptic, which means that I'm open to any potential treatment, but also have a healthy level of skepticism when it comes to the latest greatest treatments in cancer secrets. I've applied my clinical experience with patients, as well as a scientific knowledge I've obtained over the years to share the tests and treatments. You should be focusing on treatments which are most likely to work.
Speaker2:
Everyone needs an expert in their corner and with this book I can be yours. Please go to Cancer Secrets now and buy your copy today. Now a question I receive a lot from patients is well, Dr. Stegall, even though alcohol consumption in excess is bad, and even though studies have shown that alcohol in general can cause cancer, what about red wine? We've all heard that red wine contains resveratrol, which of course is naturally found in grapes and has been investigated as an anti-cancer component. Does drinking red wine help reduce risk of cancer? And the answer is we don't know. There have been some studies on this topic. Researchers have found no association between moderate red wine consumption and the risk of developing a couple of types of cancer. They studied prostate cancer and colorectal cancer in these studies. But I would I would say that it's hard to really know for sure whether red wine can be helpful or not, because there are so many factors in a in a diet that can either raise the risk of cancer or reduce risk of cancer. And it's hard to isolate out one component when they do these types of studies. They they they try to to isolate out that one topic of interest and account for all of the other aspects of the diet. But it's very, very hard to do because people's diets vary so much. And you have to really follow these dietary patterns over a period of many years to get an accurate result.
Speaker2:
And then, of course, they only looked at two types of cancer. So we really don't know if red wine itself could be anti cancer. We certainly know that there are or cultures that drink red wine regularly and they they seem to have less chronic disease. This is certainly exhibited by the Mediterranean diet. You know, people in the Mediterranean countries certainly drink red wine and they seem to have less cancer than than other parts of the world. And we don't know whether that's due to the red wine itself or other aspects of the diet. Certainly the high consumption of of fruits and vegetables and and healthy oils probably play a large role. So if you're someone who does like to consume red wine, I would encourage you to continue to do that in moderation. Again, if you're a male, don't have more than two glasses of wine a day, which would be about ten fluid ounces total. And if you're a female, don't exceed one glass a day, which would be five ounces total. And if you don't drink, the recommendation is don't start because any amount of alcohol is going to increase the risk of cancer development somewhat, although most of the research out there is pretty clear on the fact that a moderate amount, as I just mentioned, should not increase cancer risk significantly. And of course, as you increase the amount of alcohol consumed, the risk of of cancer forming goes way up.
Speaker2:
So a follow up question I get then is, well, what if I already have cancer? Is it okay to drink alcohol? And that's a really tough question to answer. Again, I would say ideally, probably don't drink alcohol. But, you know, again, I understand that that a you know, a drink here and there, you know, can be calming. It can be something to enjoy socially good friends or with family. And so I think we really need to balance what's perfect and ideal with what's realistic and what allows you to to live your life with with little to no negative outcomes. And so for most of my patients, I tell them, you know, if you want to have an occasional drink, let's say if you if you actively are undergoing cancer treatment and in your you know, let's say you're a stage four cancer patient, I don't think it's going to cause a significant amount of harm for you to have one drink a week. I can't imagine that that's going to be a big deal. You know, if you're a lower stage cancer, you could maybe get away with having a drink a couple of times a week. I certainly wouldn't recommend having an alcoholic beverage every day if you're battling cancer or especially if you're undergoing, you know, active cancer treatment with chemotherapy and radiation and things like that. And then certainly, you know, if your cancer involves your liver, I would be more careful again, even if your liver function has been normal on your blood work.
Speaker2:
You know, we know the liver is certainly compromised on some level because there's cancer there. So I would not want to burden the liver more by recommending alcohol consumption. So I think it's a case by case basis. But in general, I think just following a reasonable schedule, if a drink here and there are something you enjoy, I think it's worth continuing to do just just in a prudent manner. I hope you found this information to be helpful. Again, I understand it's probably not the most exciting topic to discuss, but I do think it's extremely important because as we all know, alcohol consumption is something that a lot of us partake in on a regular basis, even those of us who don't. We all know someone who does. And so it's good to get a real handle on what the science shows us in terms of alcohol consumption and cancer risk. If you haven't already, please subscribe to the Cancer Secrets podcast to be notified when new episodes are released. If you're enjoying these podcasts, please take a minute and provide a review on iTunes. Finally, please share this podcast with your family and friends. All previous episodes are available for free on our website. Cancer Secrets. We have more wonderful information and some really exciting episodes coming up in the future, so please subscribe. And we look forward to seeing you again soon. Thank you so much for listening. I look forward to next time. Bye bye.
Speaker1:
Thank you for listening to the Cancer Secrets podcast. If you were encouraged by this show, please share it with a loved one or friend. Help support the show by leaving us a rating and review on iTunes. The more reviews, the more friends like you can find the show. Finally, to learn more, visit us online at Doctor Stay Google.com. The Cancer Secrets Podcast. Changing the Cancer Paradigm.
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