Alcohol intake is associated with higher rates of developing cancer, among white men and women. As part of the association, white wine was the most obvious correlation.

The study, published in the journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, suggested that nearly 3.6 percent of cancer cases around the globe can be associated with alcohol, especially the ones of the aerodigestive tract, pancreas, liver, rectum, colon, and breast.

White Wine - Higher Cancer Risk

As part of the research, the team of scientists analyzed whether a higher rate of alcohol consumption influenced the risks of developing melanoma. The researchers employed data from thee large prospective cohort studies, as part of which 210,252 participants were monitored for 18.3 years.

The monitoring process involved periodic food-frequency questionnaires in which the alcohol consumption was introduced. In the questionnaires, the average drink was considered to be 12.8 grams of alcohol.

According to the research, people who consumed alcohol had a 14 percent increase in the risk of developing melanoma, provided that they only consumed one drink each day.

One daily drink consisting of white wine was associated with a 13 percent increased risk in developing cancer; however, other drinks did not create a powerful correlation and cannot be considered as highly significant in the context of this research.

"The clinical and biological significance of these findings remains to be determined, but for motivated individuals with other strong risk factors for melanoma, counseling regarding alcohol use may be an appropriate risk-reduction strategy to reduce risks of melanoma as well as other cancers," noted Eunyoung Cho, ScD, lead author of the study.

Alcohol Consumption - Correlated To Health Issues

The correlation between alcohol consumption and cancer development was increased for the body parts that are not usually exposed to sun. According to Cho, there is a 2 percent increase in the risk of developing melanomas for the head, neck of extremities for people who consume alcohol daily. However, the same situation reaches a 73 percent higher likelihood when it comes to parts of the body that are less exposed to sun.

According to the lead author of the research, more studies should be conducted in order to examine the implications of these findings when it comes to the general population and their risks of developing cancerous tumors.

However, melanoma is still added to the list of potential health risks that are associated with alcohol consumption, until a better understanding of the underlying reasons for these occurrences will be provided.

As part of the possible negative implications of alcohol consumption, the risk to suffer from a stroke or heart attack doubles within an hour from consuming the beverage. Another study connected alcohol consumption to a higher stomach cancer risk, should people drink more than three alcoholic drinks per day.