New research investigating the impact of alcohol use on mortality in Australia has been published by the Daffodil Centre, a joint venture between Cancer Council NSW and the University of Sydney, showing that for every additional 7 drinks per week someone has, their relative risk of death from alcohol-related cancers rises by 12%. The study of 181,607 participants in the NSW 45 and Up Study showed that the number of deaths caused by alcohol use in Australia overall is substantial.
The lead author of the study and Research Fellow at the Daffodil Centre, Dr Peter Sarich says, "Despite the relatively high levels of alcohol use in Australia, there is limited local evidence on alcohol-related mortality. Given the substantial harms caused by alcohol use in Australia that we have shown, interventions aimed at reducing alcohol use may translate into significant public health gains."
This research follows a previous 2021 study by the Daffodil Centre that reported on the lifetime absolute cancer risk due to alcohol which has recently been used to inform the U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory on alcohol and cancer risk. These pieces of research are some of the only studies published reporting on lifetime absolute risk data for alcohol-related cancers and deaths.
Over a median 11.4 years of follow-up, there were 18,193 deaths in the study. Dr Peter Sarich explained that "Our research shows that for every additional 7 drinks per week someone has, their relative risk of death from alcohol-related cancers rises by 12%, death from digestive system disease by 32%, death from cardiovascular disease by 7%, and death from all causes combined by 6%. Men and women who consumed more than 10 drinks per week were estimated to have an 8.5% and 4.1% higher absolute risk of death from all causes by age 85 years, respectively."
Dr Sarich said, "An estimated 9,029 deaths (5.3% of all deaths) were caused by alcohol use in Australia in 2021, including 1,680 deaths from cancer (3.4% of all cancer deaths)."
Alcohol increases the risk of developing cancers of the mouth, throat, oesophagus, stomach, bowel, liver and breast. When it comes to cancer risk, there's no safe level of alcohol use.
Clare Hughes, Chair of the Nutrition, Alcohol and Physical Activity Committee at Cancer Council, says that Australia needs a comprehensive approach to reducing alcohol use in order to reduce the burden of alcohol-related cancers. This includes sustained investment in public awareness campaigns as well as warning labels on alcohol products highlighting the link between alcohol and cancer, "For these campaigns to be effective they must be supported by pricing policies, restrictions on alcohol advertising and promotion, as well as limits on availability of alcohol" she says.
"Cancer Council recommends people reduce their alcohol use to reduce their risk of cancer, and people who do not drink should not take up drinking alcohol. People who drink alcohol should follow the National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines." concludes Ms Hughes.
If you need to talk about cancer, call Cancer Council on 13 11 20
About the research:
The research has been published today in the journal Public Health:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0033350624005183
