Did you know?

Though no one can completely eliminate their risk of developing cancer, the World Health Organization estimates that between 30 and 50 percent of all cancer cases across the globe are preventable. That's a significant assertion with a wide-ranging assortment of consequences, including ones with social and economic implications. One example that can illustrate how preventable many cancers may be surrounds alcohol consumption.

According to the WHO, alcohol is causally linked to seven types of cancer and associated with 740,000 new cancer cases each year. Though excessive alcohol consumption is often, and rightfully, associated with cancer, the WHO points out that even light to moderate alcohol consumption was associated with nearly 23,000 new cancer cases in the European Union as recently as 2017. Alcohol consumption is just one of many known risk factors for cancer, so eliminating alcohol consumption will not eliminate a person's cancer risk. However, a decision to avoid alcohol could greatly reduce an individual's cancer risk.