The information below is useful and in line with the ongoing discussions on alcohol consumption.
I have attached the published paper. [*see note below]
Best wishes,
Joel
HIFA profile: Joel Francis is an epidemiologist and a researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand, School of Clinical Medicine, Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care. Prior to joining WITS, I worked as a research scientist with the National Institute for Medical Research in Tanzania and a research fellow with the Department of Global Health and Population at Harvard T.H.Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University. I hold a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree (equivalent to MBBCh) from the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and an MSc in Epidemiology from Harvard University, USA, and a Ph.D. in Epidemiology from the University of London (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine), UK. My current responsibilities include teaching (supervision of undergraduate, Master, and Ph.D. candidates), and Public Health research. I have over 13 years’ experience in conceptualizing, designing, implementing, and analyzing rigorous quantitative observational (large surveys and classical epidemiological) and experimental studies (cluster-randomized trials, randomized clinical trials), systematic reviews, and meta-analysis, and implementation science studies. My substantive research interests have been on HIV, Alcohol and Other Drug Use, Noncommunicable Diseases, and Mental Health, and a more recent interest in the Global Burden of Diseases. I am a member of editorial boards of three BMC series journals (BMC- Public Health & BMC – Global Health Research and Policy, BMC -Infectioous Diseases), the PLOS One journal, a statistical editor for the Health Policy and Planning journal and an editorial advisor at the BMJ Open journal. I am a member of the Data Safety and Monitoring Board (DSMB) of two ongoing randomized trials in South Africa and Tanzania. I serve as an honorary lecturer at the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. And a member of the International AIDS Society. joelmfrancis AT gmail.com
From Centers for Disease Control and Prevention <
no-reply@emailupdates.cdc.gov>
Date: Tue, Mar 19, 2024 at 1:56 PM
Subject: Limiting alcohol use can reduce cancer deaths in the U.S.
To: <joelmfrancis@gmail.com>
Reading time: 2 minutes
March 19, 2024
New CDC study suggests that limiting alcohol use can reduce cancer deaths in the U.S.
<https://t.emailupdates.cdc.gov/r/?id=h8951ea27,1b69ed66,1b7da762&e=QUNTV...
A new CDC study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, shows the estimated effects of adults drinking less alcohol on U.S. cancer deaths.
The study found that more than 20,000 alcohol-related cancer deaths occurred each year during 2020-2021. About 80% of these cancer deaths could have been prevented if all adults who drank at levels above the Dietary Guidelines for Americans had instead consumed alcohol within the recommended daily limits of two drinks or less for men or one drink or less for women.
Alcohol use increases the risk of several types of cancer, including cancers of the liver, the breast in women, the colon, the throat and mouth, and other sites in the body. One way alcohol increases the risk of cancer is that our body breaks down alcohol into a chemical called acetaldehyde, which damages our DNA and prevents our body from repairing the damage. Cells can then begin growing out of control and create a cancerous tumor.
Together we can help reduce cancer risks by creating environments where it is easier for people to limit their alcohol use. Like strategies for addressing other cancer risk factors (such as tobacco use), effective alcohol policies, including policies to increase alcohol prices and reduce the number and concentration of places selling alcohol, could decrease alcohol use and thus reduce cancers related to it.
These ways to create environments that support people in their choice to reduce their drinking can work alongside other strategies. Adults can check their alcohol use and make a personalized plan to drink less by using CDC's website
Health care providers can help by talking with patients about their drinking habits and offering advice to drink less to improve health and reduce cancer risk, or by sharing CDC’s tool (available in English <https://t.emailupdates.cdc.gov/r/?id=h8951ea27,1b69ed66,1b7da767&e=QUNTV...
or in Spanish
<https://t.emailupdates.cdc.gov/r/?id=h8951ea27,1b69ed66,1b7da768&e=QUNTV...
).
Social media resources
General Public
DYK drinking alcohol is a leading cause of cancer that can be avoided? Each year 20,000 people die in the U.S. from alcohol-related cancer. Find out how drinking alcohol can raise your risk of cancer:
https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/alcohol/index.htm
20,000 people die in the U.S. each year from alcohol-related cancers. Want to check your alcohol use and get personalized tips for drinking less to improve your health?
https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/checkyourdrinking/index.html
Drinking alcohol increases the risk of cancers of the liver, breast (in women), colon, throat and more. The less alcohol you drink, the lower your risk for these cancers. Find out how drinking can impact your cancer risk:
https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/alcohol/index.htm
#AlcoholAwareness #CancerAwareness #DrinkLess
New CDC research suggests that far fewer people would die from alcohol-related cancers if all adults followed U.S. dietary recommendations on alcohol use. With collective support for comprehensive strategies proven to reduce alcohol-related harm, we can save lives. https://bit.ly/3ULS5t2
#AlcoholAwareness #CancerAwareness
New CDC research shows the toll that drinking alcohol can take on U.S. adults. Limiting your alcohol use can lower your risk of cancer. Check your drinking and get tips for drinking less to improve your well-being:
https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/CheckYourDrinking/index.html
Health Care Practitioners
Alcohol use is one of the leading modifiable behaviors affecting risk of cancer. Have you talked to your patients about their drinking? Tell your patients today about CDC’s free website to check their alcohol use and build a personalized plan for drinking less.
https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/CheckYourDrinking/index.html
#AlcoholAwareness #CancerAwareness
[*Note from HIFA moderator (NPW): HIFA is a plain text discussion forum and does not carry attachments]
