Just two drinks a day can put you at risk for developing alcohol-related cancer, and UF students are brewing over the issue.
A new study led by the National Cancer Institute found that people who consume 1.5 drinks a day or fewer account for between 26 percent to 35 percent of alcohol-related cancer deaths each year.
Between about 18,200 and 21,300 people in the United States die of alcohol-related cancer each year, according to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health. It accounts for between 3.2 percent to 3.7 percent of all cancer deaths in the U.S., according to the study.
David E. Nelson, director of the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program and an author of the study, said although alcohol use can lead to cancer, it’s difficult to pinpoint how.
“People seem to be unaware that alcohol is a known human cancer-causing substance,” he said. “There are a bunch of different hypotheses on exactly how it works, but no one hypothesis is going to work for all cancers.”
Russell Crowe, a 19-year-old UF electrical engineering sophomore, said he knows the risks alcohol poses and chooses to not drink it. He said he was surprised how the low number of drinks could lead to cancer.
“I know a lot of people who drink that much at least,” he said.
However, not all UF students are willing to sober up. Brittany Pendley, a 20-year-old UF family, youth and community sciences junior, said she drinks alcohol every weekend when she goes out.
“I’ve never seen any negative health effects,” she said, adding that she was also surprised by the results of the study. “One to two drinks — that’s not even enough for a buzz.”
