Alcohol and tobacco contain same carcinogenic substance

Cancer risk grows if one is susceptible to effects of alcohol at low doses

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One in five Finns has a gene that can accelerate the metabolism of alcohol. As a result, such a person gets unpleasant feelings from alcohol already while he or she is still drinking it.
     
The unpleasant influence can be experienced even after consuming only small or moderate quantities of alcohol: after a couple of glasses one feels bad, hot and flushed, while the heart is palpitating.
      These symptoms are similar to those exhibited by many people of Asian descent, even though not equally strong. Nevertheless, thanks to these feelings, one may find alcohol repulsive. They are like a warning: if you continue to drink, you are likely to be more susceptible to oesophageal cancer than other people.
     
The reason for the risk is an organic chemical compound called acetaldehyde that is produced when alcohol is broken down in the body. Some alcohol beverages and foods also contain this substance as residuals from the manufacturing process.
      The International Agency for Research on Cancer has recently classified acetaldehyde as a Class I carcinogenic substance, in the same way as for example tobacco.
      Smoking and drinking alcohol have been found to be the main risk factors for oesophageal cancer.
     
Acetaldehyde has long been studied in Finland. Professor Emeritus Mikko Salaspuro from the University of Helsinki received a significant international award for his research relating to acetaldehyde some years ago.
      Special researcher Peter Eriksson from the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) is also one of the world’s leading acetaldehyde-related researchers.
      ”Acetaldehyde is produced from alcohol in the liver and intestines, but it is burnt nearly entirely. Acetaldehyde can also be found in saliva, produced by microbes in the oral cavity, throat, and stomach”, Eriksson explains.
      The third source is alcohol beverages, in which the quantities of the substance vary: Clear alcohol contains less than the tinted ones, while red wine and beer contain less acetaldehyde than white wine. The highest quantities of the carcinogenic substance can be found in alcohol beverages made from plums and apples.
     
The information is backed by cancer statistics. For example the spirit Calvados contains large quantities of acetaldehyde, and it is consumed a lot in Normandy, where cancers of the oesophagus occur widely, Eriksson concludes.
      Many researchers say that limit values for concentrations of acetaldehyde should be defined. In addition, Mikko Salaspuro would also restrict the use of acetaldehyde as an additive, as it has been indicated that the substance is the main risk factor for oesophageal cancer.
     
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has defined a safe quantity of acetaldehyde to be only 0.39 milligrammes per day for a person who weighs roughly 70 kilos.
      The actual daily intake of acetaldehyde is from 0.1 mg to 100 mg, says Salaspuro.
      Depending on the personal consumption, an European person can get some 7 to 112 mg of acetaldehyde. The exposure to the substance lasts from one to two minutes after each gulp.
      For smokers, tobacco explains some 30 % of the exposure, which lasts several tens of minutes.
      While waiting for the limit values, everybody can reduce his or her risk to themselves by reducing their consumption of tobacco and alcohol, particularly if one gets symptoms while drinking.


Links:
  European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
  National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL)
  Cancer Research UK press release 4.11.2009

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