Some Facts and Information about Alcohol Use and Liver Cancer

Alcohol and liver damage is closely associated.  Alcohol intake in excessive amounts can trigger the deadly disease-liver cancer and  infact the highest number of liver cancer cases in the world are associated with excessive alcohol usage and abuse.   Thus, if you are a heavy drinker, you should start worrying about your liver health and know how much amount of alcohol is safe for consumption. Lets learn more about the relation between alcohol use and liver cancer.

Alcohol Use and Liver Cancer

  • It is a fact that excessive intake of alcohol or alcoholic beverages are linked to about 36% cases of liver cancer in the USA.
  • Several studies have found out that alcohol cirrhosis is the real cause of liver cancer and this is evident from the fact that 80% people who had liver cancer also had  cirrhosis.
  • Alcohol cirrhosis can be described as the permanent scarring of the tissue of the liver because of prolonged and excessive alcohol intake.  Basically, if a person has been drinking heavily for about 10-15 years, then he/she may be at a risk of developing alcohol cirrhosis. Apart from causing liver cancer, alcohol cirrhosis can also result in liver failure and hence death.
  • Many people do not know about the limit to which they can consume alcohol and due to this lack of knowledge, they go on drinking in excessive amounts.  Typically, men can have 2 drinks per day and women can have one drink per day without affecting their liver in any harmful way.  Regular consumption of alcohol in higher amounts than mentioned above can increase the risk of liver cancer and some other medical problems as well.
  • Binge drinking-which is drinking more than 5 drinks in one sitting regularly can be considered very dangerous and may result in liver cancer after prolonged use.
  • In those people who have already been diagnosed with liver cancer, the risk of developing some other category of cancer is increased if he/she continues drinking alcohol.
  • If you have undergone treatment of liver cancer successfully, even then you must keep away or limit alcohol intake due to risk of reoccurrence of the disease.  Consulting your doctor about the same can be helpful.

Tips to Control Drinking habits to avoid Liver Cancer

Although getting rid of alcoholic habits is not an easy task, but you should certainly try the same. Here we have compiled a list of things that you cna do to avoid being on the verge of getting liver cancer.

1. Dry Days: If you can’t give alcohol up completely, at least induce 2-4 dry days in a week.

2. Reading between the lines: Whenever you go out for a drink, do read the ABV label (i.e. Alcohol by Volume), the lesser it is, the better off you’ll be.

3. Exercising: Wake up in the morning, and go for a jog in the fresh air, followed by light exercises. This will freshen you up, and induct fresh energy in you.

4. Meditation: Meditate at least for 10 minutes on a daily basis. It’ll help you get closer to your inner soul, and would also help in killing the urge to drink alcohol.

5. Eat well: Your eating habits should include green and healthy vegetables. Many doctors say that having a fruit / veggie salad while you drink negates half the side effects of alcohol. Try to make this a habit (however quitting alcohol would be the safest option!).

If the urge of consuming alcohol is too much, then try cutting the amount of alcohol from the glass every time you drink, to about 1-3% ABV.

Photo Credit By: cancercouncil.com.au