Drinking More Than 4 Bottles of Soju a Week Increases Risk of Colon Cancer

As the number of colon cancer patients rapidly increases in Korea and the U.S., it has been found that the more alcohol one consumes over a lifetime, the sharply higher the risk of colon cancer.

Colon cancer is the second most common cancer in the country. The number of colon cancer patients in Korea has increased by an average of 2.6% annually since 2019, with the incidence rate among young people aged 20 to 40 increasing by an average of 4.2% annually. This is the fastest increase globally.

In the U.S., there are growing concerns in academia about the rapid increase in young colon cancer patients. According to the latest statistics from the American Cancer Society, as of 2023, colon cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among adults aged 20 to 49 in the U.S.

Factors significantly affecting the incidence of colon cancer include lack of physical activity, excessive consumption of ultra-processed foods, and excessive drinking. However, there has been no medical consensus on how much alcohol consumption increases the risk of colon cancer, as individual differences can be quite large due to genetic causes and lifestyle habits.

In this regard, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (NIH) announced on the 26th that consuming more than 196g of alcohol per week clearly increases the risk of colon cancer. This conclusion was reached after tracking data from 812 patients with colon polyps and 1,679 colon cancer patients, adjusting for significant factors such as gender, age, dietary habits, and family history.

According to the research team, individuals who consume 14 drinks (U.S. standard drink, 14g of alcohol) or more per week (high alcohol consumption group) have a 25% higher risk of developing colon cancer compared to the control group that does not drink at all. This corresponds to a level of consuming more than 196g of pure alcohol per week, which is equivalent to about 4.3 bottles of soju at 16 degrees in Korea.

When alcohol is metabolized in the body, a carcinogenic substance called acetaldehyde is produced. This substance damages the genetic information of cells, and when accumulated, increases the likelihood of colon cells leading to cancer. Additionally, after drinking, the cell repair effect of folic acid decreases, and the balance of gut microbiota is disrupted, worsening the immune response of cells, which leads to an increased risk of colon cancer, according to the research team's explanation.

Particularly noteworthy in this study is the risk of rectal cancer. Rectal cancer occurs in the last part of the colon (rectum), and about 45% of colon cancer patients in Korea have rectal cancer, making it a common type of cancer. The study found that the risk of rectal cancer in the high alcohol consumption group was a staggering 95% higher compared to the control group. This means that heavy drinking nearly doubles the risk of developing rectal cancer. This is likely because the negative effects of alcohol on the intestines may remain longer in the rectum, which is the very end part.

The results of this study were recently published in the official journal of the American Cancer Society (ACS), <<Cancer>>.