Study Links Heavy Drinking to Higher Stomach Cancer Risk

Heavy drinking increases the risk of stomach cancer, according to a recent study.

A group of researchers at Seoul National University's College of Medicine conducted the study on 18,863 people between 1983 and 2004. In the study, those who drink alcohol every day, or for more than 31 years, are 1.5 times more likely to develop the cancer than nondrinkers.

To clarify how alcohol affects stomach cancer risk, they also conducted a separate study excluding people infected with Helicobacter pylori.

Heavy drinkers who consume alcohol more than seven times a week are 3.5 times more likely to develop stomach cancer than nondrinkers. The risk is 3.3 times higher for those who drink more than one bottle of soju or three bottles of beer at a time.