Smoking and alcohol increase the risk of developing pancreatic cancer
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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People who smoke a lot and abuse alcohol increase the risk of developing pancreatic cancer at an earlier age. To such results came the scientists from the University of Michigan.
In an article published in the journal American Journal of Gastroenterology, experts warn that in heavy smokers who smoke more packets of cigarettes a day, the cancer was diagnosed at 62 years old, and those who consumed more than 39 grams of alcohol a day - in 61 year. This is despite the fact that usually oncological disease develops in people aged 72 years.
The fact that pancreatic cancer can take ten years of life is evidenced by the results of studies involving 811 cancer patients.
According to scientists, this study is one more step towards understanding the processes that cause oncological diseases.
While the growth of most cancers is a more predictable process, in the case of pancreatic cancer it is difficult to make any predictions.
Smoking itself is a significant risk factor, and alcoholic drinks provoke oxidative reactions in the liver, it serves as an activator for the inflammatory processes that cause cancer.
Thus, well-known risk factors play a role in the development of pancreatic cancer, reducing the life of a person who abuses alcohol and tobacco by an average of 10 years compared to people who know the measure.
At the same time, for excessive doses, specialists took alcohol consumption in the amount of 39 milligrams per day (in terms of pure alcohol), and smokers who smoked a pack and more cigarettes daily were put in a risk zone.
Also, experts draw attention to the fact that regular consumption of beer increases the threat of pancreatic cancer more than other types of alcoholic beverages.
Of course, it is possible to "get out" of this risk zone. This requires the rejection of all of the above bad habits, and then a person can breathe a sigh of relief and relax, because after ten years of abstinence, the risk of cancer will be equal to those of non-drinkers and non-smokers, and also vegetarians.
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