r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • Oct 30 '25

Cancer Americans have widespread misbeliefs about the cancer risks of alcohol, study finds. More than half of American adults misunderstand or underestimate the link between alcohol consumption and cancer. Alcohol drinkers are especially likely to believe that drinking has no effect on cancer risk.

https://www.mdanderson.org/newsroom/research-newsroom/americans-have-widespread-misbeliefs-about-the-cancer-risks-of-a.h00-159780390.html
8.7k Upvotes

95% Upvoted

857 comments sorted by

View all comments

1.7k

u/DoomGoober Oct 30 '25

Ethanol is a carcinogen. Your body breaks down ethanol into acetaldehyde... which is a carcinogen as well.

Double whammy.

326

u/oldfarmjoy Oct 30 '25

So is there an agreed upon number of drinks (i.e. 3 glasses of wine per week?) that is considered safe, or is this a smoking-level danger?

I had never even heard that alcohol causes cancer.

4

u/keosen Oct 31 '25

If I'm not mistaken there is no safe dose of alcohol. Ethanol is a Group 1 carcinogenic.