Drinking even one alcoholic beverage while soaking in the sun can increases skin cancer risk by 20 percent while drinking more than four glasses increases this risk by 55 percent, a new study finds.
Sipping on a mug of beer or your favorite cocktail while basking in the sun on a beach may seem like a perfect way to spend a lazy afternoon but you may be doing yourself more harm than you're aware of. Researchers of a new study found that the mixing of alcohol and the sun may actually increase the risk of skin cancer.
A team of international researchers found that acetaldehyde, a chemical present in alcohol is extremely sensitive to light and when exposed to sunlight, damages cells in the body, BBC reports. This increases the risk of skin cancer, also known as melanoma. The risks are even higher because the ethanol in alcoholic beverages also turns into acetaldehyde when ingested.
The study was based on a review of 16 other studies involving more than 6,200 patients with melanoma. To find out the extent to which alcoholic beverage in the presence of sunlight increases the risk of cancer, researchers conducted a further review. They found that consuming an alcoholic beverage or more a day increases the risk of skin cancer by 20 percent. Those who drank more than four glasses of cocktails, or a few strong beers a day, were found to have a 55 percent higher risk.
"We know that in the presence of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, drinking alcohol can alter the body's immunocompetence, the ability to produce a normal immune response," BBC quoted Dr. Eva Negri, one of the study authors from the University of Milan as saying. "This can lead to far greater cellular damage and subsequently cause skin cancers to form."
Though previous studies have established that alcohol can cause biological changes that make the skin more sensitive to light and may alter the impact of exposure to UV light, researchers were not able to fully understand how it can increase the risk of melanoma. However, they did find out that acetaldehyde may have a huge role to play in it.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, acetaldehyde acts as a "photosensitizer" which makes the skin more sensitive to light. When the skin is exposed to the sun, it creates molecules called "reactive oxygen species" that cause "oxidative stress," or cell damage.
Another reason for this researchers speculate, is that people under the influence of alcohol become careless and forget to use sun protection when they step outside. Drinking alcohol weakens the senses and may lead to impaired judgment, distorting a person's perception of risk and their own abilities.
"Many of us have seen holiday makers who have been caught unawares the day before, fuzzy-headed and lobster red - an unwelcome combination," The Telegraph reports. He believes this study provides an extra incentive for people to protect their skin from the sun.
According to the American Cancer Society, cancers linked to alcohol use include mouth, throat, voice box, esophagus, liver, colon and rectum, breasts, and even pancreatic cancer. For each of these cancers, the risk increases with the amount of alcohol consumed.
Melanoma is responsible for the death of an estimated 8,790 people in the U.S. annually. 120,000 new cases of melanoma are diagnosed in the country every year, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
Tanning beds are said to be another cause of skin cancer. A report last year revealed that 1 in 7 skin cancer patients want to continue using these tanning devices despite being diagnosed with the illness. The Skin Cancer Foundation reported that this may be a new form of substance abuse now known as tanning addition.
The latest study was supported by the Italian Ministry of Health from the Italian Ministry of the University and Scientific and Technologic Research. The findings were published in the British Journal of Dermatology.
