The consumption of alcohol is often argued to be safe and even beneficial for the body.. However, a new CNN report claims that “along with smoking and chronic infections, alcohol consumption is an important cause of several types of cancer.” Recent studies have shown that “excessive drinking raises the risk for cancer of the mouth, larynx, esophagus, colon, liver, and breast. It may also be linked with cancer of the pancreas and lung.”
"Alcohol is underestimated as a cause of cancer in many parts of the world. A sizeable portion of cancer today is due to alcohol intake and this is increasing in many regions," according to Dr. Paolo Boffetta of the International Agency for Cancer Research in France.
Besides alcohol's links to cancer, alcohol consumption has other harmful effects that should be considered. For example, it can cause damage to the digestive system (including the digestive organs), which may result in impaired digestion and absorption of nutrients.
For those of you who are vegetarian, or considering becoming vegetartian, there is good news. When you start eating a vegetarian diet, your body will naturally begin to cleanse itself of many toxins and unwanted compounds stored in the body. For non-vegetarians, this cleansing is usually hindered because the body is already working overtime to break down and eliminate the toxic chemicals, hormones, and toxic byproducts accumulated from meat-consumption.
So naturally, when eating a well-balanced vegetarian diet, a person begins to feel better both mentally and physically. The person will become more sensitive to the toxins that they ingest, and will make the conscious choice not to pollute their body. They will naturally not want to over-consume alcohol (or consume any at all) because of how they will feel the next day. In this way, it becomes easier to give up alcohol, or limit its consumption, and thus reduce risk for various types of cancers.
Down to Earth makes it easy by carrying a vast range of non-alcoholic beverages as great substitutes to alcohol. Check out our Health Tips section for ways to cut down your alcohol consumption and for recommended non-alcoholic beverages.