Heavy lifetime drinking is associated with increased cancer risk

Researchers report that elevated lifetime alcohol consumption is associated with a higher risk of colorectal cancer, and that quitting heavy drinking might lower the subsequent risk.

The findings appeared on January 26, 2026 in CANCER, a journal of the American Cancer Society.

“Our study is one of the first to explore how drinking alcohol over the life course relates to both colorectal adenoma and colorectal cancer risk. While the data on former drinkers were sparse, we were encouraged to see that their risk may return to that of the light drinkers,” said co–senior author Erikka Loftfield, PhD, MPH, of the (USA) National Cancer Institute, a part of the National Institutes of Health.

The investigators evaluated data on US adults enrolled in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial.

The investigators calculated average lifetime alcohol intake as average drinks per week. They defined alcohol intake patterns by past and current drinking frequency.

They found that 1,679 colorectal cancer cases occurred among 88,092 subjects during 20 years of follow-up.

Current drinkers with an average lifetime alcohol intake of ≥14 drinks per week (heavy drinkers) had a 25% higher risk of developing colorectal cancer and a 95% higher risk of developing rectal cancer than subjects with an average lifetime alcohol intake of <1 drink per week (light drinkers).

From the angle of drinking consistency, they found a link between heavy drinking throughout adulthood and a 91% higher risk of colorectal cancer compared with consistent light drinking.

Notably former drinkers had lower odds of developing noncancerous colorectal tumors, or adenomas (which may go on to become cancerous) than current drinkers averaging <1 drink per week. This suggests that alcohol cessation could lower individual risk.

The authors concluded, “Consistent heavy alcohol intake and higher average lifetime alcohol drinking may increase CRC [colorectal cancer] risk, whereas cessation may lower adenoma risk. Associations may differ by tumor site.”