Alice Bender, head of the nutrition division at the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), noted that obesity has been linked to 11 cancers and alcohol has been linked to 6 cancers. And a report released by the AICR shows that alcohol consumption and overweight are also important risk factors for esophageal cancer.
Experts from the AICR and the World Cancer Research Fund reviewed 46 studies that included more than 15 million adults, 31,000 of whom had esophageal cancer.
The results showed:
- For every 5 increase in body mass index (BMI), the risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma increased by 48%. This is the most prevalent type of esophageal cancer in Americans.
- For every 10 grams of alcohol consumed per day (roughly equivalent to one beer or glass of wine), the risk of developing squamous esophageal cancer increases by 25%. This is the most predominant type of esophageal cancer in the Chinese population.
Studies have also shown that if everyone in the United States maintained a healthy weight and did not drink alcohol, that would reduce the incidence of esophageal cancer by 1/3, or about 5,600 fewer cases of esophageal cancer each year.
Dr. Anthony Starpoli, an esophageal endoscopy specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, commented that the rapid increase in the incidence of esophageal cancer is positively correlated with the obesity epidemic. Alcohol may have a direct carcinogenic effect, and the acid reflux it causes may lead to more damage to the lining of the esophagus.