Heavy Drinkers Risk Stomach Cancer

Men who guzzle more than four drinks a day seem to double their risk of stomach cancer. The study of more than 500,000 European adults found that heavy drinkers were about twice as likely to be diagnosed with stomach cancer over the following decade as men who consumed only half a drink a day or less. For some reason, this link did not show up in women, but far fewer females reported consuming four drinks a day.
The absolute risk is quite low, however. Of the 13,000 heavy drinkers in the study, only 33 developed stomach cancer. Nevertheless, heavy drinking is connected with other health hazards including liver and heart disease, cancers of the mouth and throat, not to mention traffic accidents. The bottom line continues to be moderation in all things.

[American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, online October 12, 2011]