Alcohol consumption is a major contributor to cancer in Europe, according to a new report from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) cancer research agency.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) found that alcohol is one of the leading causes of cancer across the continent, and stronger government measures to limit consumption could prevent thousands of cases and deaths each year.
Within the European Union—the region with the highest alcohol intake globally—alcohol was responsible for over 111,000 new cancer cases in 2020. Worldwide, that number reached an estimated 741,000, with men accounting for nearly 70% of the total.
The financial burden is also severe. WHO estimated that premature deaths caused by alcohol-related cancers cost €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 costs to taxpayers,” 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 normalised as part of European culture.”
How Alcohol Contributes to Cancer
Alcohol was officially classified as a carcinogen in 1988. IARC states that it increases the risk of at least seven types of cancer, including those of the mouth, throat, oesophagus, liver, colon, and breast.
Scientists believe alcohol promotes cancer through several biological mechanisms, such as hormonal disruption, alterations in the gut microbiome, oxidative stress, and DNA damage caused by acetaldehyde, a toxic byproduct of alcohol metabolism.
Reducing or eliminating alcohol intake significantly decreases cancer risk. Most alcohol-attributable cancers occur among “risky” drinkers (two to six drinks per day) and “heavy” drinkers (more than six drinks per day). However, even moderate consumption—fewer than two drinks per day—was linked to over 100,000 new cancer cases worldwide in 2020.
Strategies for Prevention
This report marks the first time IARC has comprehensively assessed the benefits of alcohol-related cancer prevention.
“The evidence is now clear that population-wide alcohol policies reduce drinking, and that reduced drinking lowers cancer risk,” said IARC director Dr. Elisabete Weiderpass.
The agency advocates for evidence-based measures such as higher alcohol taxes, minimum pricing, stricter age limits, reduced sales hours, government-controlled retailing, and bans on alcohol marketing.
Studies have shown that such interventions are effective. For instance, research published in 2021 suggested that doubling alcohol excise taxes could have prevented 6% of new alcohol-related cancer cases and deaths in the WHO European region in 2019.
“Raising awareness about the cancer risks of alcohol and the fact that no level of drinking is safe is critical,” said Dr. Béatrice Lauby-Secretan, deputy head of IARC’s evidence synthesis and classification branch. “Everyone has a role to play in changing the current norms and values surrounding alcohol consumption.”
