Before You Have That Second Cocktail, Read This

For the past three decades, researchers have known that alcohol is what's called a carcinogenic agent to people. That is, it probably contributes to cancer. Esophageal cancer might be the best known type of cancer that's been linked to alcohol, but research has confirmed that imbibing too much alcohol contributes to cancers of the upper GI tract, the liver, colon, rectum, and the female breast as well.

It's Officially a Cause

But now some new research presented in the online edition of the September 2011 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research has indicated that alcohol doesn't just contribute to cancer; it actually causes it. And this study's findings show how alcohol, after the body metabolizes it, actually does the damage that can lead to breast cancer.

A Dangerous Chemical

How do alcoholic beverages accomplish this? When the human body metabolizes the type of alcohol we drink (ethanol), the body converts it into an organic chemical compound called acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is found widely in nature (plants produce it as part of their normal metabolism) and it's also produced in large quantities by industry.

But acetaldehyde definitely has no place inside the human body. For one thing, some scientists believe this compound is what causes hangovers. But that's not the half of it. Acetaldehyde (which is structurally similar to another harsh chemical, formaldehyde) is now known to cause damage to human DNA on a cellular level and to trigger chromosomal abnormalities in cells—two types of mischief that can lead to cancer sooner or later.

Your body probably can't handle acetaldehyde.

Some people are born lucky, in that their bodies are able to convert acetaldehyde to acetate, a relatively harmless substance. But most of the rest of us can't render acetaldehyde harmless. So stop and think before you embark on imbibing. Remember: You're drinking for your breasts, too.