| Colon Cancer Risk | |
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Published in the International Journal of Cancer, the study involved 1,500 colon cancer patients aged 30 to 79, and more than 2,400 people without colon cancer.
Researchers found that patients who consumed about 7.5 ounces of wine, 35 ounces of beer or 3.75 ounces of hard liquor a week over 20 years were 60 percent more likely to develop a genetic defect associated with colon cancer, known as microsatellite instability, than to develop a tumor without the defect.
Some of the conclusions drawn by the researchers include:
- Hard liquor was most significantly associated with the MSI defect.
- Alcohol may contribute to developing cancer by damaging DNA.
- Lifestyle factors can trigger some of the genetic mutations involved in tumors.
- MSI tumors tend to be less invasive than other types of tumors, and patients with these tumors may survive longer.
