{"id":37683,"date":"2025-06-26T07:00:23","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T07:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/?p=37683"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:40:41","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T17:40:41","slug":"4-alcohol-myths-that-could-be-harming-your-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/4-alcohol-myths-that-could-be-harming-your-health\/","title":{"rendered":"4 alcohol myths that could be harming your health","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether it\u2019s sipping a glass of champagne at a celebration or enjoying a cold beer during a sporting event, drinking alcohol is woven into many of our life experiences.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s such a part of our culture that misconceptions about alcohol\u2019s effects on the body and mind are common \u2014 and those misunderstandings can be harmful to your health.<\/p>\n

Find out the truth behind these four alcohol-related myths so you can make decisions that support your well-being.<\/p>\n

Myth: There are no health risks associated with moderate drinking.
\nTruth: Consuming even small amounts of alcohol can increase your risk of cancer.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s common to assume that only excessive drinking is associated with health problems, but that\u2019s not the case. Even those who consider themselves light to moderate drinkers face risks, including increased cancer risk.<\/p>\n

Studies show that several different cancers<\/a> are linked to alcohol use. Those include cancers of the mouth, throat, larynx (voice box), esophagus, liver, colon, rectum and breast. And the more you drink, the higher your risk of cancer. Even just one drink a day increases breast cancer risk for women.<\/p>\n

Each year, approximately 20,000 U.S. adults<\/a> die from alcohol-related cancers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t fully understand why alcohol increases cancer risk,\u201d says Blair Irwin, MD, a board-certified oncologist<\/a> at the MultiCare Cancer Institute<\/a>. \u201cWe do know that alcohol compromises your immune system, and when your immune system isn\u2019t working properly, it\u2019s less able to clear out cancer cells when they arise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bottom line? Alcohol affects every part of your body, from your brain to your bones. In addition to certain cancers, it can increase your risk for osteoporosis, dementia, high blood pressure and liver disease, among other conditions. The World Health Organization<\/a> states there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost alcohol-related studies have focused on the harm associated with heavy drinking,\u201d Dr. Irwin says. \u201cThat\u2019s fostered this belief that light or moderate drinking is risk-free. We\u2019re starting to see that that\u2019s not quite accurate.\u201d<\/p>\n

One study<\/a> found a connection between increased mortality with even low alcohol intake, she adds. It was one of the first large studies to dispel the idea that light\/moderate drinking is risk-free.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Whether it\u2019s sipping a glass of champagne at a celebration or enjoying a cold beer during a sporting event, drinking alcohol is woven into many of our life experiences. It\u2019s such a part of our culture that misconceptions about alcohol\u2019s effects on the body and mind are common \u2014 and those misunderstandings can be harmful […]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":367,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,43,127],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-behavioral-health","category-cancer","category-healthy-living"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n4 alcohol myths that could be harming your health - MultiCare Vitals<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Uncover the truth about alcohol\u2019s effects on your mind and body \u2014 plus find practical tips to help you cut back on drinking.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/4-alcohol-myths-that-could-be-harming-your-health\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"4 alcohol myths that could be harming your health - 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