Alcohol and Prostate Cancer: Does alcohol increase the risk of prostate canc

There has been a long debate about whether drinking alcohol increases the risk of prostate
cancer (PCa). Some studies show that drinking, especially in large amounts, is linked to higher chances of developing PCa, while others have suggested that wine might even help slow down prostate tumor growth. The problem with many past studies is that they didn’t take other important factors into account, like diet, smoking, family history, physical activity, and sexual health. In addition, some studies didn’t track alcohol use over a long period of time, which is important because many prostate cancers grow slowly. Overall, the evidence suggests that drinking a lot of alcohol, particularly binge drinking, raises the risk of developing prostate cancer and can make the disease more deadly. This study recommends that people diagnosed with prostate cancer stop drinking alcohol. It also explains how alcohol harms the prostate and increases the chances of prostate cancer, as well as its effects on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Risks related to alcohol consumption
In a review of 140 references from 1966 to 2020, mainly epidemiological studies, moderate alcohol consumption was correlated with increased risk of upper digestive tract, liver, colorectal, breast, pancreatic, and prostate cancers (PCa). Despite the generally increased cancer risk from any type of alcohol,
many patients continue to drink alcohol, and some governments continue to leave their citizens uninformed of the carcinogenic risk of alcohol consumption. In a recent report, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that alcohol use resulted in 3 million deaths globally in 2016, with 12.6% of those associated with malignant neoplasms. Among men, alcohol intake is the fourth- largest contributor to cancer.

Genetics and the metabolism of alcohol
Genetic differences in alcohol metabolism might affect a person’s risk of developing cancer, including prostate cancer (PCa).

When a person drinks alcohol, the body processes it in two main steps. First, an enzyme turns alcohol into a toxic substance. Then, another enzyme, which is less harmful but still is dangerous because it damages the DNA in cells, which can cause them to grow abnormally. It can also interfere with the body’s ability to repair damaged DNA.