Frequent Alcohol Consumption Increases Risk of Colorectal Cancer, Study Finds

Frequent alcohol consumption increases the risk of early-onset colorectal cancer, according to a recent study.

A team of researchers led by Prof. Shin Cheol-min of Seoul National University Hospital in Bundang conducted a study of 5.66 million adults to look over their decade-long history of medical checkups from 2009 to 2019.

The study classified light drinkers as those who have fewer than one shot glass of soju or Korean distilled liquor a day, moderate drinkers as those who have between one and three drinks of soju for men and up to two drinks for women, and heavy drinkers as those who drink more than that.

Some 8,314 cases of colorectal cancer were observed among those under 50, which means that heavy drinkers had a significantly higher chance of developing the disease than light drinkers.

The more frequent the consumption of alcohol, the higher the risk of developing colorectal cancer, as well.

Currently, the incidence of colorectal cancer among Korean adults aged between 20 and 49 is known to be 12.9 per 100,000 people. Korea also has one of the world's fastest rates of increase of colorectal cancer among young people.

The study was published online in the latest issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.